Channel selectory value and method of driving the same, compressor with the channel selector valve, and device for controlling refrigerating cycle

ABSTRACT

Upon a selector operation of a valve such as a four-way selector valve provided in a refrigerating cycle for selecting a channel of fluid, prevention of environmental pollution and energy saving and the like are effectively achieved. A sliding valve is coupled with a piston in a housing of a channel selector valve provided in a refrigerating cycle and the sliding valve moves due to a difference in pressure and so on at both sides of the piston, thereby a channel of fluid is selected. A processing section of a control device is constituted with microcomputers of an indoor and outdoor control sections, while a detecting section of the control device includes temperature sensor, detection means for detecting pressure, detection means for detecting flow rate, detection means for detecting voltage/current, and detection means for detecting frequency. Driving sections of an electrically-driven expansion valve, an indoor heat exchanger, an outdoor heat exchanger and a compressor are means that function in response to execution of control programs so that physical quantity, such as pressure, differential pressure and flow rate in the channel selector valve provided in the refrigerating cycle, and a rate of change in physical quantity, such as a rate of change in pressure, a rate of change in differential pressure and a rate of change in flow rate, are controlled, thereby a channel of the fluid is selected by the channel selector valve.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a channel selector valve and,more specifically, to a channel selector valve, which is used to reversechannels for fluid discharged from a compressor and for fluid suckedinto the compressor, and to a device for controlling a refrigeratingcycle.

BACKGROUND ART

[0002] In general, as to an air conditioner for both cooling andheating, a four-way selector valve selects a circulating direction of arefrigerant in such a manner that upon cooling the refrigerant flowsfrom a compressor, by way of an outdoor heat exchanger, a throttle valveand an indoor heat exchanger, then flows back to the compressor, andthat upon heating the refrigerant flows from a compressor, by way of anindoor heat exchanger, a throttle valve and an outdoor heat exchanger,then flows back to the compressor.

[0003] The four-way selector valve, used for selecting a circulatingdirection of a refrigerant in a refrigerating cycle described above,includes the so-called sliding-type four-way selector valve.

[0004] As to the sliding-type four-way selector valve, a valve elementis moved inside the valve housing so that one port, communicating withan inlet through a space formed inside the valve element, is switchedfrom a first port to a second port out of the two ports andsimultaneously that another port, communicating with an outlet through aspace formed outside the valve element, is switched from the second portto the first port out of the two ports.

[0005] As disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Publication No.S35-12689 and Japanese Utility Model Publication No. S55-53825, as to aconventional four-way selector valve, a magnet coil formed outside ofthe valve housing is provided with electricity so as to selectivelydecompress either valve chamber between two valve chambers disposed atboth sides of a central valve chamber, out of three valve chambers inthe valve housing, then the valve element placed in the central valvechamber is slided due to the differential pressure generated between thedecompressed valve chamber and the central valve chamber.

[0006] In Japanese Patent Publication No. H7-99296, there is disclosed afive-way valve, in which a valve element in a valve chamber is slidedwith the aid of a plunger of a magnet coil inserted in a valve housing,with supplying electricity to the magnet coil disposed outside the valvehousing.

[0007] As a conventional art similar to the above four or five-wayvalve, in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. S58-42465, there isdisclosed a four-way selector valve, in which with supplying electricityto heaters in operation chambers formed both sides of a valve housing,two operation rods, each inserted from the respective operation chamberinto the valve housing, are alternately slided so that a valve elementin the valve housing is slided.

[0008] Every conventional four or five-way valve mentioned above needselectricity to be supplied to a magnet coil upon selecting by the valve,consequently, there has been a room for improvement in these valves fromthe viewpoints of prevention of the environmental pollution and energysaving.

[0009] Besides the four or five-way valves, for example, in JapaneseUtility Model Laid-Open No. H3-119689, there is disclosed a four-wayselector valve, in which wax thermoelements are disposed at both sidesof a valve housing instead of a magnet coil, and with supplyingelectricity to heaters of the wax thermoelements, a valve element in thevalve housing is slided with the aid of a shaft, inserted from theoutside of the valve housing into the inside thereof.

[0010] In Japanese Patent No. 2757997, there is disclosed a four-wayselector valve, in which a pair of differential pressure chamberspartitioned by partition wall plates is formed at respective sides of avalve chamber in a valve housing so that each differential pressurechamber can selectively communicate with the valve chamber by switchinga substitute valve formed on the respective partition wall plate, and aconstant-temperature heater of each slow operation element disposed atboth sides of the valve housing is supplied with electricity so thateach operation shaft inserted from the respective side of the valvehousing into the respective differential pressure chamber is slided. Inthis four-way selector valve, the constant-temperature heater of eachslow operation element is supplied with electricity so as to slide eachoperation shaft and to open either substitute valve, thereby bothpartition wall plates slide within the valve housing together with thevalve element in such a manner that the partition wall plates movenearer to the opened substitute valve.

[0011] Each conventional four-way selector valve mentioned above doesnot employ a magnet coil, however, needs electricity to be supplied tothe heaters in order to operate the swiching valve, consequently, therehas been a room for improvement in these valves similarly to theaforementioned conventional four or five-way valve.

[0012] On the other hand, as to a four-way selector valve disclosed inJapanese Patent Publication No. H7-43188, although a valve element isslided by supplying electricity to a magnet coil, a permanent magnetattracts the slided valve element so that a position of the valveelement after supplying electricity is maintained, thereby saving afurther supply of electricity to the magnet coil, then only a tentativeelectrical supply is performed to another magnet coil fordemagnetization when the valve element is moved from the slided positionback to an original position before the slide.

[0013] As to a four-way selector valve disclosed in Japanese PatentApplication Laid-Open No. H9-72633, a position of a valve element afterslide is maintained by an intermittent electrical supply to a magnetcoil, in the four-way selector valve that is similar to one described inJapanese Patent Publication No. S35-12689.

[0014] Since each four-way selector valve, disclosed in Japanese PatentPublication No. H7-43188 or Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.H9-72633, does not need a continuous electrical supply to the magnetcoil, it has some effect from the viewpoints of prevention of theenvironmental pollution and energy saving.

[0015] Certainly, the four-way selector valve, disclosed in JapanesePatent Publication No. H7-43188 or Japanese Patent Application Laid-OpenNo. H9-72633, restricts an amount of electrical supply to the magnetcoil, however, it still needs some amount of electrical supply.Therefore, from the viewpoints of a vigorous promotion with respect toprevention of the environmental pollution and energy saving, there hasbeen a room for further improvement in the valves described above.

[0016] Therefore, as to a selecting operation of a channel selectorvalve for fluid, such as a four-way selector valve, which is provided ina refrigerating cycle, it is an objective of the present invention tosolve the above problems and to provide a channel selector valve thatcan effectively contribute for prevention of the environmental pollutionand energy saving, a method of driving the channel selector valve, acompressor that works excellently with using the channel selector valve,and a device for controlling a refrigerating cycle.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

[0017] In order to attain the above objective, each invention asdescribed in claims 1-14, 16, 18-27, 29, 30, 32-35 and 37-54 relates toa channel selector valve, each invention as described in claims 15, 17,28, 31 and 36 relates to a method of driving the channel selector valve,an invention as described in claim 55 relates to a compressor with thechannel selector valve, and each invention as described in claims 56-89relates to a device for controlling a refrigerating cycle.

[0018] A channel selector valve of the present invention as described inclaim 1 is a channel selector valve for selecting a channel of fluidcharacterized in that the channel is selected by employing non-electricmotive power.

[0019] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 2 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 1, wherein a drive source provided separately fromthe channel selector valve generates said non-electric motive power, bywhich the channel is passively selected.

[0020] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 3 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 2, wherein the drive source comprises at least one ofelement components in a refrigerating cycle having the channel selectorvalve and the channel is passively selected by using the motive powergenerated by said at least one of the element components.

[0021] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 4 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 3, wherein said motive power is generated due to achange in physical quantity, which arises in the refrigerating cyclefrom an action of said at least one of the element components.

[0022] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 5 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 4, wherein said change in physical quantity is atleast one change among changes in pressure, differential pressure andflow rate of fluid in the channel selector valve, said changes arisingfrom an action of said at least one of the element components.

[0023] A channel selector valve of the present invention as described inclaim 6 is a channel selector valve comprising: a movable member movingbetween a first position and a second position in a housing of thechannel selector valve; and driving means for driving the movable memberbetween the first position and the second position by employingnon-electric motive power, wherein a first selector port out of twoselector ports of the housing communicates with a main port of thehousing through the interior of the housing when the movable member issituated at the first position, while a second selector port out of thetwo selector ports of the housing communicates with a main port of thehousing through the interior of the housing when the movable member issituated at the second position.

[0024] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 7 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 6, wherein a drive source generating saidnon-electric motive power comprises at least one of element componentsin a refrigerating cycle having the channel selector valve, a change inphysical quantity, which arises in the refrigerating cycle from anaction of said at least one of element components, is employed as atleast a part of said motive power, thereby the channel is passivelyselected.

[0025] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 8 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 7, wherein said change in physical quantity is atleast one change among changes in pressure, differential pressure andflow rate of fluid in the channel selector valve, said changes arisingfrom an action of said at least one of the element components.

[0026] A channel selector valve of the present invention as described inclaim 9 is a channel selector valve constituted as a four-way selectorvalve by combining a first and second three-way selector valves, each ofwhich is constituted by the channel selector valve according to claim 6,7 or 8.

[0027] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 10 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 9, wherein the channel selector valve is constitutedas a four-way selector valve by the first and second three-way selectorvalves,

[0028] the main port of the first three-way selector valve is an inletport formed in the housing, through which fluid introduced from theexterior to the interior of the housing of the first three-way selectorvalve passes, while the main port of the second three-way selector valveis an outlet port formed in the housing, through which the fluiddischarged from the interior to the exterior of the housing of thesecond three-way selector valve passes,

[0029] the first selector port of the first three-way selector valve isconnected to the second selector port of the second three-way selectorvalve, while the second selector port of the first three-way selectorvalve is connected to the first selector port of the second three-wayselector valve,

[0030] the movable member of the second three-way selector valve movesto the second position when the movable member of the first three-wayselector valve moves to the first position, while the movable member ofthe second three-way selector valve moves to the first position when themovable member of the first three-way selector valve moves to the secondposition.

[0031] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 11 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 10, wherein said driving means of the first three-wayselector valve comprises:

[0032] a first drive mechanism that moves the movable member situated atthe first position of the first three-way selector valve to the secondposition when a difference between a fluid pressure at the firstselector port in the first three-way selector valve and a fluid pressureat the second selector port cancels out; and

[0033] a second drive mechanism that moves the movable member situatedat the second position of the first three-way selector valve to thefirst position when a difference between a fluid pressure at the firstselector port in the first three-way selector valve and a fluid pressureat the second selector port cancels out.

[0034] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 12 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 11, wherein the first and second three-way selectorvalves are constructed so that the main port is isolated from the secondselector port when the movable member is situated between the firstposition and a third position where is nearer to the second positionthan the first position, while that the main port is isolated from thefirst selector port when the movable member is situated between thesecond position and a fourth position where is between the secondposition and the third position,

[0035] the first drive mechanism comprises first storing means forstoring energizing force to move the movable member of the firstthree-way selector valve from the first position to the fourth position,by a fluid pressure being higher than a first predetermined value of themain port, when the movable member of the first three-way selector valveis situated at the first position, said energizing force being less thanthe first predetermined value, and

[0036] the second drive mechanism comprises second storing means forstoring energizing force to move the movable member of the firstthree-way selector valve from the second position to the third position,by a fluid pressure being higher than a second predetermined value ofthe main port, when the movable member of the first three-way selectorvalve is situated at the second position, said energizing force beingless than the second predetermined value.

[0037] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 13 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 6, 7 or 8, wherein the main port is an inlet portformed in the housing, through which fluid introduced from the exteriorto the interior of the housing passes,

[0038] the housing further comprises an outlet port, through which thefluid discharged from the interior to the exterior of the housingpasses,

[0039] when the movable member is situated at the first position, theinlet port and the first selector port are communicated with each otherinside the housing, while the outlet port and the second selector portare communicated with each other inside the housing,

[0040] when the movable member is situated at the second position, theinlet port and the second selector port are communicated with each otherinside the housing, while the outlet port and the first selector portare communicated with each other inside the housing.

[0041] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 14 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 13, wherein the movable member partitions theinterior of the housing into a first and second pressure chambers andalso forms a first and second spaces in the first pressure chamber,

[0042] the inlet port is formed in the housing so as to communicate withthe first space and the outlet port is formed in the housing so as tocommunicate with the second space,

[0043] when the movable member is situated at the first position, thefluid introduced from the exterior of the housing into the first spaceby way of the inlet port is discharged to the first selector port, whilethe fluid discharged from the second space to the exterior of thehousing by way of the outlet port is introduced from the second selectorport,

[0044] when the movable member is situated at the second position, thefluid introduced from the exterior of the housing into the first spaceby way of the inlet port is discharged to the second selector port,while the fluid discharged from the second space to the exterior of thehousing by way of the outlet port is introduced from the first selectorport.

[0045] A method of driving a channel selector valve as described inclaim 15 is a method of driving the channel selector valve of thepresent invention as described in claim 14, comprising the steps of:

[0046] communicating the first space to the second pressure chamberthrough an equalizing path formed in the movable member;

[0047] energizing the movable member in a direction of moving from thesecond position to the first position by energizing means forenergizing; and

[0048] applying a force to the movable member from the first pressurechamber side by fluid introduced from the exterior of the housing intothe first space by way of the inlet port, said force being stronger thana resultant force consisting of an energizing force by said energizingmeans and a force applied to the movable member by fluid in the secondpressure chamber introduced from the first space by way of saidequalizing path,

[0049] thereby the movable member moves from the first position to thesecond position.

[0050] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 16 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 14, wherein the housing has a valve seat disposed inthe first pressure chamber, the outlet port and the two selector portsare disposed on the valve seat, the second space moves on the valve seatresponding to a movement of the movable member moving between the firstand second positions, and a place with which the outlet portcommunicates by way of the second space is selected to be either thefirst selector port or the second selector port.

[0051] A method of driving a channel selector valve as described inclaim 17 is a method of driving the channel selector valve of thepresent invention as described in claim 16, comprising the steps of:

[0052] communicating the first space to the second pressure chamberthrough an equalizing path formed in the movable member;

[0053] energizing the movable member in a direction of moving from thesecond position to the first position by energizing means forenergizing; and

[0054] applying a force to the movable member from the first pressurechamber side by fluid introduced from the exterior of the housing intothe first space by way of the inlet port, said force being stronger thana resultant force consisting of an energizing force by said energizingmeans, a force applied to the movable member by fluid in the secondpressure chamber introduced from the first space by way of saidequalizing path, and a static friction force between the valve seat andthe movable member,

[0055] whereby the movable member moves from the first position to thesecond position and

[0056] the movable member is kept staying at the second position by thestatic friction force between the valve seat and the movable memberagainst an energizing force of the energizing means, after a differencebetween a pressure of fluid in the first space and that in the secondpressure chamber decreases due to circulation of fluid between the firstspace and the second pressure chamber through the equalizing path.

[0057] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 18 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 14 or 16, wherein the driving means comprises:

[0058] a third drive mechanism that moves the movable member from oneposition out of the first and second positions toward an oppositeposition; and

[0059] a fourth drive mechanism that moves the movable member from theopposite position toward the one position,

[0060] wherein the third and fourth drive mechanisms employ a change inphysical quantity of the interior of the housing due to fluid introducedinto the interior of the housing at least as a part of the motive power.

[0061] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 19 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 18, wherein

[0062] the movable member partitions the interior of the housing intothe first pressure chamber, the second pressure chamber, and a thirdpressure chamber situated so that the first pressure chamber issandwiched between the second and third pressure chambers,

[0063] the channel selector valve further comprises anon-electrically-driven pilot valve that selectively communicates theoutlet port to either the second pressure chamber or the third pressurechamber, said pilot valve comprises:

[0064] a second housing having a second main port that is providedoutside the housing and communicates with the outlet port; and

[0065] a selector valeve element that patitions the interior of thesecond housing into a fourth pressure chamber communicating with thethird pressure chamber and a fifth pressure chamber communicating withthe second pressure chamber, and that is movable in the second housingbetween a fifth position where the second main port communicates withthe fourth pressure chamber and a sixth position where the second mainport communicates with the fifth pressure chamber, due to a differencebetween a pressure of fluid in the second pressure chamber and that inthe third pressure chamber.

[0066] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 20 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 19, further comprising second driving means to movethe selector valve element from one position out of the fifth and sixthpositions to an opposire position when the difference between a pressureof fluid in the second pressure chamber and that in the third pressurechamber cancels out.

[0067] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 21 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 20, wherein

[0068] the movable member has a first equalizing path communicating thefirst space to the second pressure chamber and a second equalizing pathcommunicating the first space to the third pressure chamber,

[0069] the movable member has a first subvalve that isolates the thirdpressure chamber from the fourth pressure chamber when the movablemember is situated at the first position and that communicates the thirdpressure chamber to the fourth pressure chamber when the movable memberis situated at the second position, and has a second subvalve thatcommunicates the second pressure chamber to the fifth pressure chamberwhen the movable member is situated at the first position and thatisolates the second pressure chamber from the fifth pressure chamberwhen the movable member is situated at the second position,

[0070] the pilot valve communicates the second main port to the fourthpressure chamber when the selector valve element is situated between thefifth position and a seventh position located nearer to the sixthposition than the fifth position, and communicates the second main portto the fifth pressure chamber when the selector valve element issituated between the sixth position and a eighth position locatedbetween the sixth position and the seventh position, and

[0071] the second driving means has third and fourth storing means forstoring energizing force,

[0072] the third storing means for storing energizing force stores anenergizing force, which is less than a third predetermined value, tomove the selector valve element from the fifth position to the eighthposition due to a fluid pressure in the fifth pressure chamber exceedingthe third predetermined value when the selector valve element issituated at the fifth position, and

[0073] the fourth storing means for storing energizing force stores anenergizing force, which is less than a fourth predetermined value, tomove the selector valve element from the sixth position to the seventhposition due to a fluid pressure in the fourth pressure chamberexceeding the fourth predetermined value when the selector valve elementis situated at the sixth position.

[0074] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 22 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 19, wherein

[0075] a third main port communicating with the inlet port is furtherformed in the second housing,

[0076] the third main port communicates with the fifth pressure chamberwhen the selector valve element is situated between the fifth andseventh positions and communicates with the fourth pressure chamber whenthe selector valve element is situated between the sixth and eighthpositions,

[0077] and the channel selector valve further comprises second drivingmeans for moving the selector valve element either from the fifthposition to the eighth position or from the sixth position to theseventh position when the difference between a pressure of fluid in thesecond pressure chamber and that in the third pressure chamber cancelsout.

[0078] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 23 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 22, wherein the second driving means has third andfourth storing means for storing energizing force,

[0079] the third storing means for storing energizing force stores anenergizing force, which is less than a third predetermined value, tomove the selector valve element from the fifth position to the eighthposition due to a fluid pressure in the fifth pressure chamber exceedingthe third predetermined value when the selector valve element issituated at the fifth position, and

[0080] the fourth storing means for storing energizing force stores anenergizing force, which is less than a fourth predetermined value, tomove the selector valve element from the sixth position to the seventhposition due to a fluid pressure in the fourth pressure chamberexceeding the fourth predetermined value when the selector valve elementis situated at the sixth position.

[0081] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 24 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 14 or 16, wherein the driving means comprises:

[0082] a third drive mechanism to move the movable member from oneposition out of the first and second positions to an opposite position;and

[0083] a fourth drive mechanism to move the movable member from theopposite position to the one position,

[0084] wherein one drive mechanism out of the third and fourth drivemechanisms employs a change in physical quantity of the interior of thehousing due to fluid introduced into the interior of the housing atleast as a part of the motive power, while an opposite drive mechanismemploys an energizing force that is applied to the movable member byenergizing means received in the interior of the housing at least as apart of the motive power.

[0085] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 25 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 24, further comprising a latch mechanism thatselectively controls a movement of the movable member from one positionout of the first and second positions toward an opposite position.

[0086] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 26 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 25, wherein the latch mechanism selectively performsa first and second states,

[0087] in the first state, a movement of the movable member to theopposite position by the driving means is controlled at the firstposition, and

[0088] in the second state, a movement of the movable member from theone position to the opposite position by the driving means is allowed.

[0089] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 27 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 26, wherein the latch mechanism comprises a latchpiece that moves in the housing following a movement of the movablemember between the first and second positions, and in a first state ofthe latch mechanism, a movement of the latch piece is controlled,thereby a movement of the movable member is controlled at the oneposition.

[0090] A method of driving a channel selector valve as described inclaim 28 is a method of driving the channel selector valve of thepresent invention as described in claim 26 or 27, wherein

[0091] when the movable member, a movement of which to the oppositeposition is controlled by the latch mechanism and situated at the oneposition, is moved to the opposite position, the movable member is oncemoved by the driving means in a direction of moving from the oppositeposition to the one position, then is moved from the one position to theopposite position,

[0092] and when the movable member situated at the opposite position ismoved to the one position, the movable member is once moved by thedriving means in a direction of moving from the one position to the.opposite position, then is moved from the opposite position to the oneposition.

[0093] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 29 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 24, further comprising:

[0094] a valve-opening member that moves from a valve-closing positionto a valve-opening position by the motive power while the third drivemechanism generates the motive power;

[0095] a pilot path that is opened from a valve closing state thereof bythe valve-opening member moved from the valve-closing position to thevalve-opening position;

[0096] an attenuation mechanism acting when the pilot path is open,which attenuates the motive power generated by the fourth drivemechanism so as to prevent the movable member from moving from theopposite position to the one position; and

[0097] a second latch mechanism to selectively control a movement of thevalve-opening member from the valve-closing position to thevalve-opening position.

[0098] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 30 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 29, wherein the second latch mechanism alternatelyrepeats a third and fourth states,

[0099] in the third state, a movement of the valve-opening member to thevalve-opening position is controlled at the valve-closing position, and

[0100] in the fourth state, a movement of the valve-opening member fromthe valve-closing position to the valve-opening position is allowed.

[0101] A method of driving a channel selector valve as described inclaim 31 is a method of driving the channel selector valve of thepresent invention as described in claim 29 or 30, wherein

[0102] when the movable member situated at the one position is moved tothe opposite position, a generation of the motive power by the thirddrive mechanism is once halted, then the generation thereof by the thirddrive mechanism is started again and then, the motive power generated bythe third drive mechanism is maintained to be a predetermined valueexceeding the motive power, which is generated by the fourth drivemechanism and attenuated by the attenuation mechanism,

[0103] and when the movable member situated at the opposite position ismoved to the one position, a generation of the motive power by the thirddrive mechanism is halted, then the movable member is moved from theopposite position to the one position by the fourth drive mechanism.

[0104] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 32 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 24, wherein the driving means comprises acommunication pipe that always communicates the second pressure chamberto the first selector port outside the housing.

[0105] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 33 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 24, wherein the driving means comprises astate-holding mechanism to hold the movable member, which is moved fromthe first position to the second position, at the second position.

[0106] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 34 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 33, wherein the state-holding mechanism comprises:

[0107] a state-holding selector valve provided in the second pressurechamber, which by a selecting action of a second selector valve elementselects either a first state or a second state, in said first state thesecond pressure chamber communiates with the exterior of the housingthrough a first introducing port and in said second state the secondpressure chamber communicates with the exterior of the housing through asecond introducing port; and

[0108] energizing means for energizing the selector valve, whichenergizes the second selector valve element so that the state-holdingselector valve in the second state selects the first state,

[0109] the movable member allows the energizing means for energizing theselector valve to energize the second selector valve element when themovable menber is situated at the first position, while the movablemember makes the second selector valve element act a selection so thatthe state-holding selector valve selects the second state against anenergizing by the energizing means for energizing the selector valvewhen the movable menber is situated at the second position.

[0110] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 35 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 34, wherein the energizing means energizes themovable member in a direction of moving from the second position to thefirst position, and a pressure of fluid, which is introduced from theexterior of the housing into the first space by way of the inlet port,acts on the movable member in a direction of moving from the firstposition to the second position.

[0111] A method of driving a channel selector valve as described inclaim 36 is a method of driving the channel selector valve of thepresent invention as described in claim 35, wherein

[0112] when the movable member moves from the first position to thesecond position, a pressure of fluid introduced into the first spacefrom the exterior of the housing by way of the inlet port is set higherthan a predetermined value, so that a force, which is applied to themovable member by fluid existing in the first space in a direction fromthe first position to the second position, is set stronger than a force,which is applied to the movable member by fluid existing in the place towhich the second pressure chamber is communicated in a direction fromthe second position to the first position,

[0113] after the movable member has moved from the first position to thesecond position, a pressure of fluid existing in the first space and apressure of fluid existing in the second pressure chamber are set sothat the movable member is kept staying at the second position.

[0114] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 37 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 7, wherein the element component is anelectrically-driven expansion valve provided in the refrigerating cycleand the change in physical quantity is a change in pressure of fluid dueto a change in an opening ratio of the electrically-driven expansionvalve.

[0115] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 38 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 7, wherein the element component is a compressorprovided in the refrigerating cycle and the change in physical quantityis a change in a frequency of a mechanical oscillation generated by thecompressor.

[0116] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 39 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 7, wherein the element component is a heat exchangerprovided in the refrigerating cycle and the change in physical quantityis a change in pressure of fluid due to a change in the amount of heatexchange by the heat exchanger.

[0117] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 40 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 13, wherein

[0118] the housing is formed cylindrical,

[0119] at least the two selector ports are formed at a valve seatsituated at one end of the housing in a direction of a central axis ofthe housing,

[0120] the movable member is constructed by a main valve element, whichis received in the housing and rotative around the central axis,

[0121] the main valve element is provided with communication means forselectively communicating a selector port out of the two selector portsto the main port,

[0122] the main valve element rotates and displaces around the centralaxis so as to move between the first and second positions, when the mainvalve element is situated at the first position, a first selector portout of the two selector ports is communicated to the main port by thecommunication means, and when the main valve element is situated at thesecond position, a second selector port out of the two selector ports iscommunicated to the main port by the communication means.

[0123] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 41 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 40, wherein

[0124] at least one port out of the inlet port and the outlet port isformed at the valve seat,

[0125] an end surface of the main valve element in a direction of thecentral axis sits down on the valve seat,

[0126] said end surface is provided with second communication means forselectively communicating said one port to a first selector port out ofthe two selector ports,

[0127] when the main valve element is situated at the first position,the second communication means communicates the second selector port tosaid one port, and when the main valve element is situated at the secondposition, the second communication means communicates the first selectorport to said one port.

[0128] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 42 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 41, wherein the opposite port is formed at anopposite end of the housing in a direction of the central axis, and thecommunication means has a communication channel that communicates oneend surface side of the main valve element to an opposite end surfaceside of the main valve element in the interior of the housing.

[0129] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 43 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 40, further comprising conversion means forconverting a moving direction, which converts a movement of the mainvalve element in a direction of the central axis with respect to thehousing into a movement in a rotational direction around the centralaxis, wherein the main valve element is movable in a direction of thecentral axis in the interior of the housing, and the driving means makesthe main valve element have a reciprocating motion in a direction of thecentral axis with respect to the housing.

[0130] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 44 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 43, wherein

[0131] the conversion means for converting a moving direction comprises:

[0132] a cam groove that is provided in one out of the main valveelement and the housing, and extends over a whole circumference of therotational direction; and

[0133] a cam follower pin that is provided in another out of the mainvalve element and the housing, and moves in the cam groove,

[0134] the cam groove has a first and second cam grooves continuing witheach other in the rotational direction, said first cam groove is formedinclined so as to part from the valve seat in a direction of the centralaxis as being displaced in the rotarional direction, while said secondcam groove is formed inclined so as to move nearer to the valve seat ina direction of the central axis as being displaced in the rotarionaldirection.

[0135] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 45 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 44, wherein

[0136] the cam groove is provided in the housing,

[0137] the housing comprises an outer housing and an inner housingreceived in the outer housing,

[0138] the inner housing comprises a first half and a second halfdivided in a direction of the central axis in a state that the innerhousing is received in the outer housing, and

[0139] each guide, which constitutes the cam groove in a state that anend of the first half and an end of the second half are joined with eachother, is formed at the respective ends of the first and second halves.

[0140] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 46 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 44 or 45, wherein

[0141] at least one port out of the inlet port and the outlet port isformed at the valve seat,

[0142] second communication means is formed at an end surface of themain valve element, the end surface faces the valve seat, said secondcommunication means selectively communicates the opposite port to afirst selector port out of the two selector ports in a state that theend surface sits down on the valve seat,

[0143] when the main valve element is situated at the first position,the second selector port is communicated to the opposite port by thesecond communication means of the main valve elemnt, and the end surfaceof which sits down on the valve seat, and

[0144] when the main valve element is situated at the second position,the first selector port is communicated to the opposite port by thesecond communication means of the main valve elemnt, and the end surfaceof which sits down on the valve seat.

[0145] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 47 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 46, wherein the opposite port is formed at anopposite end side of the housing in a direction of the central axis, andthe communication means comprises:

[0146] a communication channel that communicates one end surface side ofthe main valve element to an opposite end surface side of the main valveelement in the housing;

[0147] a subvalve that opens and closes the communication channel;

[0148] subvalve energizing means for energizing the subvalve toward adirection of closing; and

[0149] valve opening means for opening the subvalve against anenergizing force by the subvalve energizing means in a state that theone end surface of the main valve element sits down on the valve seat.

[0150] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 48 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 47, wherein the housing is disposed so that theopposite end of the housing is situated lower than one end of thehousing in a direction of the central axis, and the driving meansemploys an own weight of the main valve element at least as a part ofthe motive power.

[0151] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 49 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 47 or 48, wherein the driving means employs anenergizing force by energizing means for energizing main valve element,which energizes the main valve element to part from the valve seat in adirection of the central axis, as a part of the motive power.

[0152] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 50 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 47 or 48, wherein the driving means comprises secondenergizing means for energizing the main valve element, which energizesthe main valve element to move nearer to the valve seat in a directionof the central axis.

[0153] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 51 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 50, wherein the driving means comprises energizingmeans for energizing the main valve element, which energizes the mainvalve element to part from the valve seat in a direction of the centralaxis, due to a resultant force of an energizing force by the energizingmeans for energizing the main valve element and an energizing force bythe second energizing means for energizing the main valve element, thecam follower pin is situated at an intermediate position of the camgroove except end portions of one end side and an opposite end side ofthe housing in a direction of the central axis, and the main valveelement is situated at a neutral position halfway within a reciprocatingmotion in a direction of the central axis when the cam follower pin issituated at the intermediate position.

[0154] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 52 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 51, wherein

[0155] an end portion of the one end side of the housing in a directionof the central axis out of the cam groove is provided with a groove thatcontinues to a join, at which one end of the first cam groove beingsituated at the one end side of the housing is connected to one end ofthe second cam groove,

[0156] the groove is formed so that the one end surface of the mainvalve element sits down on the valve seat in a state that the camfollower pin is situated at the groove,

[0157] the groove is disposed being displaced to the lower course thanthe join in the rotational direction, and

[0158] when the main valve element moves in the direction away from thevalve seat in a direction of the central axis, a movement of the camfollower pin is controlled from the groove to a cam groove out of thefirst and second cam grooves, which is situated at the upper course thanthe groove in the rotational direction.

[0159] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 53 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 51 or 52, wherein

[0160] an end portion of the opposite end side of the housing in adirection of the central axis out of the cam groove is provided with asecond groove that continues to a join, at which an opposite end of thefirst cam groove being situated at the opposite end side of the housingis connected to an opposite end of the second cam groove,

[0161] the second groove is formed so that the main valve element is thefarthest away from the valve seat in a state that the cam follower pinis situated at the second groove,

[0162] the second groove is disposed being displaced to the lower coursethan the second join in the rotational direction, and

[0163] when the main valve element moves in the direction nearer to thevalve seat in a direction of the central axis, a movement of the camfollower pin is controlled from the second groove to a cam groove out ofthe first and second cam grooves, which is situated at the upper coursethan the second groove in the rotational direction.

[0164] The channel selector valve of the present invention as describedin claim 54 is the channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in any one of claims 40-53, wherein slide means for decreasinga sliding resistance between the housing and the main valve element isprovided therebetween.

[0165] A compressor with a channel selector valve as described in claim55 is a compressor with the channel selector valve as described in anyone of claims 10-14, 16, 18-27, 29-30, 32-35, and 37-54, comprising:

[0166] a compressor housing having an inlet, which is connected to theoutlet port;

[0167] a low pressure chamber that is provided in the interior of thecompressor housing and communiates with the inlet;

[0168] a high pressure chamber that is provided in the interior of thecompressor housing and partitioned off from the low pressure chamber;and

[0169] a compressing section that is provided in the interior of thecompressor housing, compresses fluid introduced into the low pressurechamber from the inlet, and guides the fluid into the high pressurechamber,

[0170] wherein a part of the compressor housing partitioning the highpressure housing therein is integrally formed with a part of the housinghaving the inlet port therein, thereby the interior of the part of thehousing communicates with the high pressure chamber.

[0171] A device for controlling a refrigerating cycle described in claim56 is a device for controlling a refrigerating cycle, which controls achannel selector valve communicated to the refrigerating cycle,characterized in that:

[0172] the device controls at least one of a plurality of functionalcomponents communicated to the refrigerating cycle so as to control therefrigerating cycle; and

[0173] the device controls the channel selector valve by controlling thefunctional components.

[0174] A device for controlling a refrigerating cycle described in claim57 is a device for controlling a refrigerating cycle, which controls achannel selector valve communicated to the refrigerating cycle,characterized in that:

[0175] the device controls at least one of a plurality of functionalcomponents communicated to the refrigerating cycle so as to control therefrigerating cycle; and

[0176] the device generates a non-electrical motive power by controllingthe functional components and passively controls the channel selectorvalve by employing the motive power.

[0177] A device for controlling a refrigerating cycle described in claim58 is a device for controlling a refrigerating cycle, which controls achannel selector valve communicated to the refrigerating cycle,comprising:

[0178] a microcomputer that controls at least one of a plurality offunctional components communicated to the refrigerating cycle so as tocontrol the refrigerating cycle; and

[0179] a control program, by which the microcomputer performs aprocessing that controls the functional components so as to generate anon-electrical motive power for passively controlling the channelselector valve.

[0180] A device for controlling a refrigerating cycle described in claim59 is a device for controlling a refrigerating cycle, which controls achannel selector valve communicated to the refrigerating cycle,characterized in that:

[0181] the device controls at least one of a plurality of functionalcomponents communicated to the refrigerating cycle so as to control therefrigerating cycle;

[0182] the non-electrical motive power generated by controlling thefunctional components is a physical quantity or a rate of change in aphysical quantity generated by the refrigerating cycle; and

[0183] the device passively controls the channel selector valve by thephysical quantity or the rate of change in a physical quantity.

[0184] A device for controlling a refrigerating cycle described in claim60 is a device for controlling a refrigerating cycle, which controls achannel selector valve communicated to the refrigerating cycle,comprising:

[0185] a microcomputer that controls at least one of a plurality offunctional components communicated to the refrigerating cycle so as tocontrol the refrigerating cycle; and

[0186] a control program, by which the microcomputer performs aprocessing that controls the functional components so as to allow therefrigerating cycle to generate a physical quantity or a rate of changein a physical quantity as a non-electrical motive power for passivelycontrolling the channel selector valve.

[0187] The device for controlling a refrigerating cycle as described inclaim 61 is the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle asdescribed in any one of claims 57-60, wherein the physical quantity,which is a base for controlling the functional components to generatethe non-electrical motive power, is a parameter selected from the groupconsisting of a pressure, temperature, rate of flow, voltage, current,electrical frequency and mechanical oscillation frequency with respectto a control of the refrigerating cycle.

[0188] The device for controlling a refrigerating cycle as described inclaim 62 is the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle asdescribed in any one of claims 57-60, wherein

[0189] the physical quantity, which is the non-electrical motive powerand is generated by the refrigerating cycle, is a pressure, differentialpressure or rate of flow with respect to fluid existing in the channelselector valve, and

[0190] the rate of change in a physical quantity, which is thenon-electrical motive power and is generated by the refrigerating cycle,is a rate of change in pressure, rate of change in differential pressureor rate of change in rate of flow with respect to the fluid.

[0191] A device for controlling a refrigerating cycle described in claim63 is a device for controlling a refrigerating cycle, which controls achannel selector valve communicated to the refrigerating cycle,comprising a control section that receives input signals sent from anoperation command section for commanding an operational condition of therefrigerating cycle and a physical quantity detector section fordetecting a physical quantity generated by the refrigerating cycle,

[0192] wherein the control section sends output signals to a drivingsection that drives a drive source of at least one of a plurality offunctional components communicated to the refrigerating cycle so as tocontrol said functional component, and the device generates anon-electrical motive power by controlling the refrigerating cycle andpassively controls the channel selector valve by the motive power.

[0193] The device for controlling a refrigerating cycle as described inclaim 64 is the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle asdescribed in claim 63, wherein the control section controls at least oneof a plurality of functional components communicated to therefrigerating cycle so as to start an operation of the refrigeratingcycle, thereby controlling the channel selector valve in a statecorresponding to the start of an operation, which is commanded by theoperation command section.

[0194] The device for controlling a refrigerating cycle as described inclaim 65 is the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle asdescribed in claims 64, wherein the control section starts to operate acompressor communicated to the refrigerating cycle in a direction ofinverse rotation when the control section decides to select the channelselector valve on the basis of a command of the operation commandsection.

[0195] The device for controlling a refrigerating cycle as described inclaim 66 is the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle asdescribed in claims 63, wherein the control section controls at leastone of a plurality of functional components communicated to therefrigerating cycle so as to operate the refrigerating cycle, therebycontrolling the channel selector valve in a state corresponding to theoperation, which is commanded by the operation command section.

[0196] The device for controlling a refrigerating cycle as described inclaim 67 is the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle asdescribed in claims 63, wherein the control section controls at leastone of a plurality of functional components communicated to therefrigerating cycle so as to halt an operation of the refrigeratingcycle, thereby controlling the channel selector valve in a statecorresponding to the halt of the operation, which is commanded by theoperation command section.

[0197] The device for controlling a refrigerating cycle as described inclaim 68 is the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle asdescribed in any one of claims 63-67, wherein the channel selector valveis constructed in a manner that a movable member moves so as to select achannel, and the control section comprises at least one unit selectedfrom the group consisting of: a memory unit for memorizing position dataof the movable member of the channel selector valve; a comparison unitand a judge unit for comparing and judging, respectively, the positiondata and operation command data; and a learning unit learning on thebasis of physical quantity data by a control of functional componentsand control data of the channel selector valve.

[0198] The device for controlling a refrigerating cycle as described inclaim 69 is the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle asdescribed in claims 68, wherein the control section receives the inputsignals, performs a predetermined processing and judges whether achannel is to be changed or not to be changed by the channel selectorvalve,

[0199] then confirms a position on the basis of present position data,

[0200] then sends the output signals to the driving section so as tocontrol the functional components in the refrigerating cycle,

[0201] then receives new input signals after a predetermined period oftime, confirms a position of the movable member, and sets position dataof said position as new present position data when said position ischanged to a new position.

[0202] The device for controlling a refrigerating cycle as described inclaim 70 is the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle asdescribed in claims 69, wherein the control section confirms a positionof the movable member by at least one temperature detection means fordetecting temperature, at least one pressure detection means fordetecting pressure, at least one magnetism detection means for detectingmagnetism, at least one current detection means for detecting current ora combination thereof after a predetermined period of time, and theninstalls position data corresponding to said position into the memoryunit of the control section.

[0203] A device for controlling a refrigerating cycle as described inclaim 71, which controls a channel selector valve that is communicatedto a refrigerating cycle and selects a channel by a movement of amovable member, comprises:

[0204] a microcomputer that controls at least one of a plurality offunctional components communicated to the refrigerating cycle so as tocontrol the refrigerating cycle; and

[0205] a control program, by which the microcomputer performs aprocessing consisting of the steps of:

[0206] receiving input signals;

[0207] confirming a position by taking out present position data of amovable member installed in a memory unit;

[0208] carrying out an operation to decide whether the movable member isto be moved of not to be moved, comparing, and judging;

[0209] selecting and deciding a driving section;

[0210] outputting drive signals to the driving section selected anddecided;

[0211] judging a position of the movable member by input signals after apredetermined period of time, with or without moving a position of themovable member by a physical quantity generated by at least onefunctional component that is selected and decided in said step ofselecting and deciding or a rate of the physical quantity; and

[0212] installing position data of a position of the movable member intothe memory unit when said position is changed to a new position,

[0213] in order to control the driving section for driving thefunctional component so that the position of the movable member is to bemoved or not to be moved.

[0214] A device for controlling a refrigerating cycle as described inclaim 72, which controls a channel selector valve communicated to therefrigerating cycle, comprises:

[0215] a control section that receives input signals sent from anoperation command section for commanding an operation state of therefrigerating cycle and from a physical quantity detector section fordetecting a physical quantity generated by the refrigerating cycle,

[0216] wherein the control section sends output signals to a drivingsection that drives a drive source of at least one of a plurality offunctional components communicated to the refrigerating cycle so as tocontrol said functional component and to control the refrigeratingcycle, and when judging to select a channel by using the channelselector valve on the basis of a command of the operation commandsection, the control section sends output signals to a driving sectionfor driving a power source of a compressor so as to start an operationof the compressor of the refrigerating cycle and starts an operation ofthe refrigerant cycle so as to generate a motive power exceeding a firstpredetermined motive power, thereby the channel selector valve ispassively controlled.

[0217] A device for controlling a refrigerating cycle as described inclaim 73, which controls a channel selector valve communicated to therefrigerating cycle, comprises:

[0218] a control section that receives input signals sent from anoperation command section for commanding an operation state of therefrigerating cycle and from a physical quantity detector section fordetecting a physical quantity generated by the refrigerating cycle,

[0219] wherein the control section sends output signals to a drivingsection that drives a drive source of at least one of a plurality offunctional components communicated to the refrigerating cycle so as tocontrol said functional component and to control the refrigeratingcycle, and when judging to select a channel by using the channelselector valve on the basis of a command of the operation commandsection, the control section sends output signals to a driving sectionfor driving a power source of a compressor so as to start an operationof the compressor in a direction of inverse rotation and starts anoperation of the refrigerant cycle so as to generate a motive powerexceeding a third predetermined motive power, thereby the channelselector valve is passively controlled.

[0220] The device for controlling a refrigerating cycle as described inclaim 74 is the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle asdescribed in claim 72 or 73, wherein

[0221] the channel selector valve selects a channel by moving themovable member between the first and second positions in response to aninternal motive power,

[0222] the control section memorizes position data corresponding to thefirst or second position of the movable member in a memory unit thereof,

[0223] the control section starts an operation of the refrigeratingcycle when the position data indicates the second or first position,

[0224] halts the operation of the refrigerating cycle with renewingposition data in the memory unit to the first or second position,respectively, after a first predetermined period of time, and

[0225] keeps the operation of the refrigerating cycle standby during athird predetermined period of time.

[0226] The device for controlling a refrigerating cycle as described inclaim 75 is the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle asdescribed in claim 72, wherein the control section operates thecompressor in a specific frequency immediately after starting theoperation of the compressor and starts an operation of the refrigeratingcycle so that a motive power exceeding a first predetermined motivepower is generated as an internal motive power of the channel selectorvalve.

[0227] The device for controlling a refrigerating cycle as described inclaim 76 is the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle asdescribed in claim 72, wherein the control section starts an operationof the compressor with a first predetermined capacity.

[0228] The device for controlling a refrigerating cycle as described inclaim 77 is the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle asdescribed in claim 72, wherein the control section starts an operationof the compressor with a second predetermined capacity so that a motivepower lower than a first predetermined motive power is generated as aninternal motive power of the channel selector valve,

[0229] then operates the refrigerating cycle for a fourth predeterminedperiod of time,

[0230] then halts the operation of the refrigerating cycle for a fifthpredetermined period of time, and

[0231] then starts an operation of the compressor with a firstpredetermined capacity so that a motive power exceeding a firstpredetermined motive power is generated as an internal motive power ofthe channel selector valve.

[0232] The device for controlling a refrigerating cycle as described inclaim 78 is the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle asdescribed in claim 72, wherein the control section sends output signalsto a throttle device driving section so that an opening ratio of athrottle device of the refrigerating cycle is almost fully opened oralmost fully closed.

[0233] The device for controlling a refrigerating cycle as described inclaim 79 is the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle asdescribed in claim 72, wherein the control section sends output signalsto a heat exchanger motor driving section so that a heat exchanger motorof the refrigerating cycle is kept halted.

[0234] The device for controlling a refrigerating cycle as described inclaim 80 is the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle asdescribed in claim 72, 75, 76 or 77, wherein once the control sectionstarts an operation of the compressor, the control section sends outputsignals to the compressor driving section after a first predeterminedperiod of time and drives the power source of the compressor so that amotive power exceeding a second predetermined motive power is generated,thereby operating the refrigerating cycle.

[0235] The device for controlling a refrigerating cycle as described inclaim 81 is the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle asdescribed in claim 78, wherein once the control section starts anoperation of the compressor, the control section sends output signals tothe throttle device driving section so as to set the opening ratio ofthe throttle device a predetermined opening ratio after a firstpredetermined period of time.

[0236] The device for controlling a refrigerating cycle as described insection to halt the operation of the compressor, then keeps therefrigerating cycle standby for a third predetermined period of time,then sends output signals to the compressor driving section to start theoperation of the compressor, then renews position data in a memory unitto a first or second position after a first predetermined period oftime, thereby halting the operation of the compressor again.

[0237] The device for controlling a refrigerating cycle as described inclaim 85 is the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle asdescribed in claim 72, 74 or 84, wherein when positional data memorizedby a memory unit of the control section indicate a first or secondposition, the control section starts an operation of the refrigeratingcycle so that a motive power exceeding a first predetermined motivepower is generated as an internal motive power of the channel selectorvalve.

[0238] A device for controlling a refrigerating cycle described in claim86, which controls a channel selector valve communicated to therefrigerating cycle, comprises:

[0239] a control section that receives input signals sent from anoperation command section for commanding an operation state of therefrigerating cycle and from a physical quantity detector section fordetecting a physical quantity generated by the refrigerating cycle,

[0240] wherein the control section sends output signals to a drivingsection that drives a drive source of at least one of a plurality offunctional components communicated to the refrigerating cycle so as tocontrol said functional component and to control the refrigeratingcycle, and when judging not to select a channel by using the channelselector valve on the basis of a command of the operation commandsection, the control section sends output signals to a driving sectionfor driving a power source of a compressor so as to start an operationof the compressor of the refrigerating cycle and starts an operation ofthe refrigerant cycle so as to generate a motive power lower than afirst predetermined motive power, thereby the channel selector valve ispassively controlled.

[0241] The device for controlling a refrigerating cycle as described inclaim 87 is the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle asdescribed in claim 86, wherein the control section starts an operationof the compressor with a second predetermined capacity.

[0242] A device for controlling a refrigerating cycle described in claim88, which controls a channel selector valve communicated to therefrigerating cycle, comprises:

[0243] a control section that receives input signals sent from anoperation command section for commanding an operation state of therefrigerating cycle and from a physical quantity detector section fordetecting a physical quantity generated by the refrigerating cycle,

[0244] wherein the control section sends output signals to a drivingsection that drives a drive source of at least one of a plurality offunctional components communicated to the refrigerating cycle so as tocontrol said functional component and to control the refrigeratingcycle, and when judging not to select a channel by using the channelselector valve on the basis of a command of the operation commandsection, the control section sends output signals to a driving sectionfor driving a power source of a compressor so as to start an operationof the compressor of the refrigerating cycle and starts an operation ofthe refrigerant cycle so as to generate a motive power exceeding a firstpredetermined motive power, thereby the channel selector valve ispassively controlled.

[0245] The device for controlling a refrigerating cycle as described inclaim 89 is the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle asdescribed in claim 88, wherein when the control section performs apredetermined processing and judges to halt an operation of therefrigerating cycle,

[0246] the control section sends output signals to the compressordriving section so as to halt the operation of the compressor, thenkeeps the refrigerating cycle standby for a third predetermined periodof time without renewing position data in a memory unit.

[0247] According to a channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 1, a channel selection of fluid by the channelselector valve is performed by employing non-electric motive power.

[0248] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 2, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 1, a channel selection of fluid by thechannel selector valve is passively performed using motive powergenerated by a non-electrically-driven drive source provided separatelyfrom the channel selector valve.

[0249] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 3, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 2, at least one of element components ina refrigerating cycle having the channel selector valve generates amotive power, by which a channel selection of fluid by the channelselector valve is passively performed.

[0250] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 4, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 3, a change in physical quantitygenarated in the refrigerating cycle due to an action of at least oneelement component in the refrigerating cycle constitutes at least a partof a motive power that is used for a channel selection of fluid by thechannel selector valve.

[0251] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 5, in the channel selector valve of the Presentinvention as described in claim 4, when at least one change amongchanges in pressure, differential pressure and flow rate of fluid in thechannel selector valve arising from an action of the element componentin the refrigerating cycle takes place, the change as a change in aphysical quantity arising in the refrigerating cycle is used for aselection of a channel by the channel selector valve.

[0252] According to a channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 6, a selection of a place where a main port formed inthe housing is communicated to through the interior of the housingbetween two selector ports is achieved by moving a movable memberbetween the first and second positions by driving means that usesnon-electric motive power.

[0253] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 7, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 6, a motive power, which is used forselecting a channel of fluid by the channel selector valve, includes achange in a physical quantity generated due to an action of at least oneof element components in a refrigerating cycle, thereby a channelselection of the fluid is passively performed by using the motive power.

[0254] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 8, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 7, when at least one change amongchanges in pressure, differential pressure and flow rate of fluid in thechannel selector valve, which is generated by an action of at least oneelement component in the refrigerating cycle, takes place, the change asa change in physical quantity generated in the refrigerating cycle isused for a selection of a channel by the channel selector valve.

[0255] According to a channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 9, when a first and second three-way selector valvesconstituted by the channel selector valve according to claim 6, 7 or 8are combined, a channel selector valve is constructed as a four-wayselector valve.

[0256] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 10, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 9, the first selector port of the firstthree-way selector valve is connected to the second selector port of thesecond three-way selector valve, while the second selector port of thefirst three-way selector valve is connected to the first selector portof the second three-way selector valve, the main port of the firstthree-way selector valve is an inlet port formed in the housing, throughwhich fluid introduced from the exterior to the interior of the housingof the first three-way selector valve passes, while the main port of thesecond three-way selector valve is an outlet port formed in the housing,through which the fluid discharged from the interior to the exterior ofthe housing of the second three-way selector valve passes, then, themovable member of the second three-way selector valve moves to thesecond position when the movable member of the first three-way selectorvalve moves to the first position, while the movable member of thesecond three-way selector valve moves to the first position when themovable member of the first three-way selector valve moves to the secondposition, thereby the channel selector valve is constituted as afour-way selector valve by the first and second three-way selectorvalves.

[0257] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 11, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 10, when a difference between a pressureof fluid at the first selector port and that at the second selector portcancels out, the movable member of the first three-way selector valvesituated at the first position is moved to the second position by afirst drive mechanism of the first three-way selector valve, while themovable member of the first three-way selector valve situated at thesecond position is moved to the first position by a second drivemechanism.

[0258] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 12, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 11, in the first three-way selectorvalve, when a fluid pressure at the main port exceeds a firstpredetermined value, the movable member is situated at the firstposition by the fluid pressure, thereby the main port communicates withthe first selector port and an energizing force is stored in a firststoring means for storing energizing force, while when a fluid pressureat the main port is lower than a first predetermined value, the movablemember is moved from the first position to the fourth position againstthe fluid pressure at the main port by the energizing force stored inthe first storing means for storing energizing force, thereby a placewhere the main port is communicated to is switched from the firstselector port to the second selector port.

[0259] Then, in a state that the movable member is situated at thefourth position, when the fluid pressure at the main port exceeds asecond predetermined value, the movable member is moved from the fourthposition to the second position by the fluid pressure and an energizingforce is stored in the second storing means for storing energizingforce, while when a fluid pressure at the main port is lower than thesecond predetermined value, the movable member is moved from the secondposition to the third position against the fluid pressure at the mainport by the energizing force stored in the second storing means forstoring energizing force, thereby a place where the main port iscommunicated to is switched from the second selector port to the firstselector port.

[0260] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 13, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 6, 7 or 8, out of an inlet port formedin the housing, through which fluid introduced from the exterior to theinterior of the housing passes, and an outlet port, through which thefluid discharged from the interior to the exterior of the housingpasses, the inlet port is set to be the main port, then, when themovable member is situated at the first position, the inlet port and thefirst selector port are communicated with each other inside the housing,while the outlet port and the second selector port are communicated witheach other inside the housing, on the other hand, when the movablemember is situated at the second position, the inlet port and the secondselector port are communicated with each other inside the housing, whilethe outlet port and the first selector port are communicated with eachother inside the housing.

[0261] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 14, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 13, the movable member is moved betweenthe first and second position by changing a difference between apressure of fluid introduced from the exterior of the housing and apressure of fluid discharged to the exterior of the housing by using amotive power generated by a non-electrically-driven drive, thereby alinear slide-type four-way selector valve is constructed by the channelselector valve.

[0262] According to a method of driving the channel selector valve ofthe present invention as described in claim 15, when the channelselector valve of the present invention as described in claim 14 isdrived, when there is no difference between a pressure of fluid in thefirst space and a pressure of fluid in the second pressure chamber, themovable member energized by the energizing means is situated at thefirst position, thereby the first selector port is set to be a placewhere the fluid, which is introduced from the exterior of the housing tothe first space by way of the inlet port, is discharged to, while thesecond selector port is set to be a place where the fluid, which isdischarged from the second space to the exterior of the housing by wayof the outlet port, is introduced from.

[0263] When a pressure of the fluid, which is introduced from theexterior of the housing to the first space of the first pressure chamberby way of the inlet port, is raised so that a force, which exceeds aresultant force of the energizing force by the enrgizing means and aforce that the fluid in the second pressure chamber acts on the movablemember, is acted on the movable member from the first pressure chamberside, the movable member situated at the first position by theenergizing force by the enrgizing means moves to the second positionagainst the energizing force by the enrgizing means, thereby the secondselector port is set to be a place where the fluid, which is introducedfrom the exterior of the housing to the first space by way of the inletport, is discharged to, while the first selector port is set to be aplace where the fluid, which is discharged from the second space to theexterior of the housing by way of the outlet port, is introduced from.

[0264] Then, when the movable member moves from the first position tothe second position, since a pressure of the fluid in the secondpressure chamber is compressed to become high, a pressure of the fluid,which is introduced from the exterior of the housing into the firstspace of the first pressure chamber by way of the inlet port, is sethigh so that the force, which exceeds a resultant force of theenergizing force by the enrgizing means and a force that the fluid inthe second pressure chamber acts on the movable member, is acted on themovable member from the first pressure chamber side, thereby the movablemember moved from the first position is held at the second position.

[0265] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 16, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 14, when a force acted on the movablemember from the first pressure chamber side by a pressure of the fluid,which is introduced into the first space of the housing by way of theinlet port, is equal to or lower than a resultant force of theenergizing force by the energizing means, a force that the fluid in thesecond pressure chamber acts on the movable member and a static frictionforce between the valve seat and the movable member, the movable memberstays at the first position.

[0266] Therefore, the first selector port is set to be a place where thefluid, which is introduced from the exterior of the housing to the firstspace by way of the inlet port, is discharged to, while the secondselector port is set to be a place where the fluid, which is dischargedfrom the second space to the exterior of the housing by way of theoutlet port, is introduced from.

[0267] On the other hand, when a force acted on the movable member fromthe first pressure chamber side by a pressure of the fluid, which isintroduced into the first space of the housing by way of the inlet port,exceeds a resultant force of the energizing force by the energizingmeans, a force that the fluid in the second pressure chamber acts on themovable member and a static friction force between the valve seat andthe movable member, the movable member moves to the second positionagainst the energizing force by the energizing means.

[0268] Therefore, the second selector port is set to be a place wherethe fluid, which is introduced from the exterior of the housing to thefirst space by way of the inlet port, is discharged to, while the firstselector port is set to be a place where the fluid, which is dischargedfrom the second space to the exterior of the housing by way of theoutlet port, is introduced from.

[0269] Then, after the movable member moves to the second position, whena force acted on the movable member from the first pressure chamber sideby a pressure of the fluid, which is introduced into the first space ofthe housing by way of the inlet port, exceeds a force, which is resultedby subtracting a static friction force between the valve seat and themovable member from a resultant force consisting of the energizing forceby the energizing means and a force that the fluid in the secondpressure chamber acts on the movable member, the movable member keepsstaying at the second position against the energizing force by theenergizing means.

[0270] According to a method of driving the channel selector valve ofthe present invention as described in claim 17, when the channelselector valve of the present invention as described in claim 16 isdrived, if the movable member moves from the first position to thesecond position, the fluid in the second pressure chamber is compressedto give a change in pressure with respect to fluid in the first space,however, since the first space communicates with the second pressurechamber through the equalizing path, a pressure of fluid in the firstspace becomes close to that in the second pressure chamber.

[0271] Then, the force acted on the movable member by the fluid in thefirst space soon becomes eqaul to the resultant force consisting of theenergizing force by the energizing means and the force that the fluid inthe second pressure chamber acts on the movable member, then becomeseven lower than that, resulting in that the movable member is ready tomove toward the first position from the second position, however, thestatic friction force between the valve seat and the movable member actsagainst the energizing force by the energizing means even after adifference between the pressure of the fluid in the first space and thatin the second pressure chamber decreases, thereby the movable member isheld at the second position by the static friction force.

[0272] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 18, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 14 or 16, when a physical quantity inthe housing is changed by the fluid, which is introduced from theexterior into the interior of the housing by way of an inlet port of thehousing, the change in physical quantity is utilized as at least a partof a motive power for moving the movable member between the first andsecond position, by third and fourth drive mechanisms.

[0273] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 19, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 18, when the selector valve element ofthe pilot valve is situated at the fifth position, the outlet portcommunicates with the third pressure chamber through the second mainport of the pilot valve and the fourth pressure chamber, while when theselector valve element of the pilot valve is situated at the sixthposition, the outlet port communicates with the second pressure chamberthrough the second main port of the pilot valve and the fifth pressurechamber.

[0274] Therefore, if a pressure of the fluid at the inlet port fromwhich the fluid is introduced exceeds a pressure of the fluid at theoutlet port from which the fluid is discharged, the selector valveelement of the pilot valve is moved between the fifth and sixth positionso that either the second pressure chamber or the third pressurechamber, placed sandwiching the first pressure chamber with each other,is selected as a chamber, a fluid pressure of which is lower than thatin the first space of the first pressure chamber, thereby a direction ofthe movable member to move by a difference in pressure of the fluid isselected between a direction from the first position to the secondposition and that from the second position to the first position.

[0275] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 20, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 19, when a difference between a pressureof fluid in the second pressure chamber and that in the third pressurechamber cancels out, the selector valve element is moved from one toanother between the fifth and sixth positions by second driving means.

[0276] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 21, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 20, when the selector valve element ofthe pilot valve is situated at the seventh position, the second mainport communicating with the outlet port communicates with the fourthpressure chamber communicating with the third pressure chamber, therebythe outlet port communicates with the third pressure chamber through thepilot valve.

[0277] In this state, when a pressure of the fluid in the first space ofthe first pressure chamber communicating with the inlet port increasesto exceed a pressure of the fluid in the third pressure chambercommunicating with the outlet port, the movable member moves so that thevolume of the third pressure chamber decreases, resulting in that thevolume of the second pressure chamber increases, in other words, themovable member moves from the second position to the first position,then the third pressure chamber is isolated from the fourth pressurechamber by a first subvalve while the second pressure chamber iscommunicated to the fifth pressure chamber by a second subvalve.

[0278] Then, a pressure of the fluid in the second pressure chambercommunicating with the first space by a first equalizing path increasesin response to an increases in that in the first space, thereby when apressure of the fluid in the fifth pressure chamber communicating withthe second pressure chamber increases and exceeds a third predeterminedvalue, the selector valve element situated at the seventh position movesto the fifth position and an energizing force is stored in a thirdstoring means for storing energizing force.

[0279] Thereafter, when a pressure of the fluid in the second or fifthpressure chamber becomes lower than a third predetermined value due to adecrease in a pressure of the fluid in the first space, the selectorvalve element is moved from the fifth position to the eighth positionagainst a pressure of the fluid in the fifth pressure chamber by anenergizing force of the third storing means for storing energizingforce, thereby the second main port communicating with the outlet portcommunicates with the fifth pressure chamber communicating with thesecond pressure chamber, resulting in that the outlet port communicateswith the second pressure chamber through the pilot valve.

[0280] In this state, when a pressure of the fluid in the first space ofthe first pressure chamber communicating with the inlet port increasesto exceed a pressure of the fluid in the second pressure chambercommunicating with the outlet port, the movable member moves so that thevolume of the second pressure chamber decreases, resulting in that thevolume of the third pressure chamber increases, in other words, themovable member moves from the first position to the second position,then the third pressure chamber is communicated to the fourth pressurechamber by a first subvalve while the second pressure chamber isisolated from the fifth pressure chamber by a second subvalve.

[0281] Then, a pressure of the fluid in the third pressure chambercommunicating with the first space by a second equalizing path increasesin response to an increases in that in the first space, thereby when apressure of the fluid in the fourth pressure chamber communicating withthe third pressure chamber increases and exceeds a fourth predeterminedvalue, the selector valve element situated at the eighth position movesto the sixth position and an energizing force is stored in a fourthstoring means for storing energizing force.

[0282] Thereafter, when a pressure of the fluid in the third or fourthpressure chamber becomes lower than a fourth predetermined value due toa decrease in a pressure of the fluid in the first space, the selectorvalve element is moved from the sixth position to the seventh positionagainst a pressure of the fluid in the fourth pressure chamber by anenergizing force of the fourth storing means for storing energizingforce, thereby the second main port communicating with the outlet portcommunicates with the fourth pressure chamber communicating with thethird pressure chamber, resulting in that the outlet port communicateswith the third pressure chamber through the pilot valve.

[0283] Therefore, in this state, when a pressure of the fluid in thefirst space of the first pressure chamber communicating with the inletport increases to exceed a pressure of the fluid in the third pressurechamber communicating with the outlet port, the movable member movesfrom the second position to the first position.

[0284] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 22, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 19, when a difference between a pressureof fluid in the second pressure chamber and that in the third pressurechamber cancels out, the selector valve element is moved from one toanother between the fifth and sixth positions by second driving means.

[0285] When the selector valve element of the pilot valve is situated atthe fifth position, the inlet port communicates with the second pressurechamber through the third main port of the pilot valve and the fifthpressure chamber, while when the selector valve element of the pilotvalve is situated at the sixth position, the inlet port communicateswith the third pressure chamber through the third main port of the pilotvalve and the fourth pressure chamber.

[0286] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 23, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 22, when the selector valve element ofthe pilot valve is situated at the seventh position, the third main portcommunicating with the inlet port communicates with the fifth pressurechamber communicating with the second pressure chamber, thereby theinlet port communicates with the second pressure chamber through thepilot valve.

[0287] In this state, when a pressure of the fluid in the first space ofthe first pressure chamber communicating with the inlet port increases,the movable member moves so that the volume of the second pressurechamber increases, resulting in that the volume of the third pressurechamber decreases, in other words, the movable member moves from thesecond position to the first position.

[0288] Then, a pressure of the fluid in the second pressure chambercommunicating with the first space by a first equalizing path increasesin response to an increases in that in the first space, thereby when apressure of the fluid in the fifth pressure chamber communicating withthe second pressure chamber increases and exceeds a third predeterminedvalue, the selector valve element situated at the seventh position movesto the fifth position and an energizing force is stored in a thirdstoring means for storing energizing force.

[0289] Thereafter, when a pressure of the fluid in the second or fifthpressure chamber becomes lower than a third predetermined value due to adecrease in a pressure of the fluid in the first space, the selectorvalve element is moved from the fifth position to the eighth positionagainst a pressure of the fluid in the fifth pressure chamber by anenergizing force of the third storing means for storing energizingforce, thereby the third main port communicating with the inlet portcommunicates with the fourth pressure chamber communicating with thethird pressure chamber, resulting in that the inlet port communicateswith the third pressure chamber through the pilot valve.

[0290] In this state, when a pressure of the fluid in the first space ofthe first pressure chamber communicating with the inlet port increases,the movable member moves so that the volume of the third pressurechamber increases, resulting in that the volume of the second pressurechamber decreases, in other words, the movable member moves from thefirst position to the second position.

[0291] Then, a pressure of the fluid in the third pressure chambercommunicating with the first space by a second equalizing path increasesin response to an increases in that in the first space, thereby when apressure of the fluid in the fourth pressure chamber communicating withthe third pressure chamber increases and exceeds a fourth predeterminedvalue, the selector valve element situated at the eighth position movesto the sixth position and an energizing force is stored in a fourthstoring means for storing energizing force.

[0292] Thereafter, when a pressure of the fluid in the third or fourthpressure chamber becomes lower than a fourth predetermined value due toa decrease in a pressure of the fluid in the first space, the selectorvalve element is moved from the sixth position to the seventh positionagainst a pressure of the fluid in the fourth pressure chamber by anenergizing force of the fourth storing means for storing energizingforce, thereby the third main port communicating with the inlet portcommunicates with the fifth pressure chamber communicating with thesecond pressure chamber, resulting in that the inlet port communicateswith the second pressure chamber through the pilot valve.

[0293] Therefore, in this state, when a pressure of the fluid in thefirst space of the first pressure chamber communicating with the inletport increases, the movable member moves from the second position to thefirst position.

[0294] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 24, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 14 or 16, when an internal pressure ofthe housing is changed by the fluid, which is introduced from theexterior of the housing into the interior thereof through the inlet portof the housing, one drive mechanism out of the third and fourth drivemechanisms of the driving means moves the movable member between thefirst and second positions by employing a change in physical quantity inthe housing as at least a part of a motive power.

[0295] When the movable member is moved by the one drive mechanism, anenergizing force is stored in the energizing means received in thehousing, then another drive mechanism out of the third and fourth drivemechanisms moves the movable member between the first and secondpositions by employing the energizing force stored in the energizingmeans as at least a part of a motive power.

[0296] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 25, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 24, a latch mechanism selectivelycontrols a movement of the movable member, which is moved by the drivingmeans from one position to another position between the first and secondpositions, thereby the movable member situated at either the first orsecond position is stayed at one position or moved to another positionselectively.

[0297] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 26, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 25, the latch mechanism performs thefirst state, in which the movable member that is moved from one positionto another position between the first and second positions by thedriving means is held at the one position, while the latch mechanismperforms the second state, in which the movable member that is allowedto move from one position to another position between the first andsecond positions moves from the one position to the another position.

[0298] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 27, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 26, when a movement of a latch piece iscontroled, a movement of the movable member, to which the latch piecefollow, is controlled at one position.

[0299] According to a method of driving the channel selector valve ofthe present invention as described in claim 28, in the channel selectorvalve of the present invention as described in claim 26 or 27, beforethe movable member is moved from one position to another position by thedriving means, the movable member is once moved in a direction of movingfrom the another position to the one position, then a control of amovement of the movable member at the one position by the latchmechanism is removed, thereby allowing the movable member to move fromthe one position to the another position.

[0300] Moreover, when the movable member is moved from the one positiontoward the another position after the movable member is moved from theanother position to the one position by the driving means, a movement ofthe movable member is controlled by the latch mechanism, thereby themovable member is held at the one position.

[0301] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 29, when the third drive mechanism generates amotive power in order to move the movable member of the channel selectorvalve of the present invention as described in claim 24 from oneposition to another position between the first and second positions, avalve-opening member is about to move from a valve-closing position to avalve-opening position by the motive power, thereby this movement of thevalve-opening member is selectively controlled by the second latchmechanism.

[0302] Here, when the second latch mechanism controls a movement of thevalve-opening member, since the valve-opening member is held at thevalve-closing position and does not move to the valve-opening position,the pilot valve is held in its closed state and an attenuation mechanismdoes not act, thereby a motive power generated by the fourth drivemechanism is not attenuated and a movement of the movable member fromthe another position to the one position between the first and secondpositions by the motive power generated by the fourth drive mechanism isprohibited.

[0303] To the contrary, when the second latch mechanism does not controla movement of the valve-opening member from the valve-closing positionto the valve-opening position, the valve-opening member moves from thevalve-closing position to the valve-opening position, the pilot valve isopened by this valve-opening member that has moved to the valve-openingposition, thereby the attenuation mechanism acts so as to attenuate themotive power generated by the fourth drive mechanism and a movement ofthe movable member from the another position to the one position betweenthe first and second positions by the motive power generated by thefourth drive mechanism is allowed.

[0304] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 30, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 29, if the second latch mechanismalternately repeats the third and fourth states, when the movable memberis moved from one position to another position by a motive powergenerated by the third drive mechanism, a state that a movement of themovable member from the another position to the one position by a motivepower generated by the fourth drive mechanism is allowed and a statethat a movement of the movable member from the another position to theone position by a motive power generated by the fourth drive mechanismis prohibited are alternately produced.

[0305] According to a method of driving the channel selector valve ofthe present invention as described in claim 31, in the channel selectorvalve of the present invention as described in claim 29 or 30, when adrive source of the third drive mechanism is allowed to generate amotive power again after the generation of a motive power by the drivesource of the third drive mechanism is halted, the second latchmechanism is transferred between a state in which a movement of thevalve-opening member from the valve-closing position to thevalve-opening position is controlled and a state in which said controlis removed, thereby the system can be transferred from one state, inwhich the movable member can move from the another position to the oneposition by using a motive power generated by the fourth drivemechanism, to another state in which the movable member cannot move fromthe another position to the one position, or the system can betransferred from the another state to the one state.

[0306] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 32, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 24, if the movable member keeps stayingat the first position, a place where the fluid, which is introduced fromthe exterior of the housing into the first space by way of the inletport, is discharged to is the first selector port, in addition, a placewhere the fluid, which is discharged from the second space to theexterior of the housing by way of the outlet port, is introduced from isstill the second selector port, therefore a pressure of the fluid in thesecond pressure chamber communicating with the first selector port byway of the communication pipe becomes equal to a pressure of the fluidin the first space communicating with the first selector port or that atthe inlet port.

[0307] Therefore, as long as a force applied to the movable member fromthe first pressure chamber side due to a pressure of the fluidintroduced into the first space of the housing by way of the inlet portis lower than a resultant force of the energizing force by theenergizing means and a force that the fluid in the second pressurechamber acts on the movable member, or is lower than a force consistingof said resultant force and a static friction force between the seatvalve and the movable member, the movable member keeps staying at thefirst position, consequently, a place, to which the inlet port or theoutlet port is communicated, is not selected (i.e. not changed).

[0308] To the contrary, when a force applied to the movable member fromthe first pressure chamber side due to a pressure of the fluidintroduced into the first space of the housing by way of the inlet portexceeds a resultant force of the energizing force by the energizingmeans and a force that the fluid in the second pressure chamber acts onthe movable member, or exceeds a force consisting of said resultantforce and a static friction force between the seat valve and the movablemember, the movable member moves from the first position to the secondposition, thereby a place where the fluid, which is introduced from theexterior of the housing into the first space by way of the inlet port,is discharged to is selected to be the second selector port, inaddition, a place where the fluid, which is discharged from the secondspace to the exterior of the housing by way of the outlet port, isintroduced from is selected to be the first selector port.

[0309] Therefore, a pressure of the fluid in the second pressure chambercommunicating with the first selector port by way of the communicationpipe becomes equal to a pressure of the fluid at the outlet portcommunicating with the first selector port, then said pressure becomesdifferent from a pressure of the fluid at the inlet port communicatingwith the first space.

[0310] Consequently, as long as a pressure of the fluid at the inletport is thereafter kept so that a force applied to the movable memberfrom the first pressure chamber side due to a difference between apressure of the fluid at the outlet port and that at the inlet portexceeds a resultant force consisting of the energizing force by theenergizing means and a force that the fluid in the second pressurechamber acts on the movable member, or exceeds a force, which isresulted by subtracting a static friction force between the valve seatand the movable member from said resultant force consisting of theenergizing force by the energizing means and a force that the fluid inthe second pressure chamber acts on the movable member, the movablemember keeps staying at the second position against an energizing forceby the energizing means, thereby a place to which the inlet port or theoutlet port is communicated is kept as selected (i.e. as changed).

[0311] Then, after the movable member has moved to the second position,when a pressure of the fluid at the inlet port decreases so that a forceapplied to the movable member from the first pressure chamber side dueto a difference between a pressure of the fluid at the outlet port andthat at the inlet port is lower than a resultant force consisting of theenergizing force by the energizing means and a force that the fluid inthe second pressure chamber acts on the movable member, or is lower thana force, which is resulted by subtracting a static friction forcebetween the valve seat and the movable member from said resultant forceconsisting of the energizing force by the energizing means and a forcethat the fluid in the second pressure chamber acts on the movablemember, the movable member moves from the second position to the firstposition by an energizing force of the energizing means.

[0312] Thereby, a place where the fluid, which is introduced from theexterior of the housing into the first space by way of the inlet port,is discharged to is selected to be the first selector port, in addition,a place where the fluid, which is discharged from the second space tothe exterior of the housing by way of the outlet port, is introducedfrom is selected to be the second selector port.

[0313] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 33, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 24, if the movable member is moved fromthe first position to the second position so that a channel of the fluidis selected by the channel selector valve using a motive power generatedby a non-electrically-driven drive source, the movable member is held atthe second position by a state-holding mechanism.

[0314] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 34, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 33, when the movable member is situatedat the first position, an energizing of a second selector valve elementby energizing means for energizing the selector valve is allowed,thereby a state-holding selector valve is set in a first state in whichthe second pressure chamber is communicated to the exterior of thehousing through a first introducing port, while when the movable memberis situated at the second position, against the energizing by theenergizing means for energizing the selector valve, the state-holdingselector valve is set in a second state in which the second pressurechamber is communicated to the exterior of the housing through a secondintroducing port.

[0315] Whether the movable member is situated at the first position orthe second position depends upon whether a force applied to the movablemember from the first space side is higher or not than a force appliedto the movable member from the second pressure chamber side, as a resultof taking the following forces into consideration, said following forcesare a force applied to the movable member by the fluid in the firstspace, a force applied to the movable member by the fluid flowed intothe second pressure chamber, a static friction force between the valveseat and the movable member, and an energizing force by the energizingmeans.

[0316] Therefore, when the movable member is situated at the firstposition, as long as a pressure of the fluid at the inlet portcommunicating with the first space is set so that a force applied to themovable member from the second pressure chamber side, which depends on apressure of the fluid at a place to which the first introducing portcommunicating with the second pressure chamber is communicated, exceedsa force applied to the movable member from the first space side, themovable member keeps staying at the first position, thereby the firstselector port out of the two selector ports formed in the housingcommunicates with the inlet port through the first space, while thesecond selector port out of the two selector ports communicates with theoutlet port through the second space.

[0317] On the other hand, when a pressure of the fluid in the firstspace increases so that a force applied to the movable member from thefirst space side exceeds a force applied to the movable member from thesecond pressure chamber side, which depends on a pressure of the fluidat a place to which the first introducing port communicating with thesecond pressure chamber is communicated, the movable member moves fromthe first position to the second position in the housing, thereby thefirst selector port out of the two selector ports formed in the housingcommunicates with the outlet port through the first space, while thesecond selector port out of the two selector ports communicates with theinlet port through the second space, and a place to which the secondpressure chamber is communicated is selected from the first introducingport to the second introducing port.

[0318] Here, if a pressure of the fluid in a place to which the secondintroducing port is communicated is set lower to some extent than thatin a place to which the first introducing port is communicated, evenwhen a pressure of the fluid in the first space decreases to someextent, a force applied to the movable member from the first space sideexceeds a force applied to the movable member from the second pressurechamber side, thereby the movable member keeps staying at the secondposition.

[0319] However, when a pressure of the fluid in the first space markedlydecreases so that a force applied to the movable member from the secondpressure chamber side exceeds a force applied to the movable member fromthe first space side, the movable member moves from the second positionto the first position in the housing, thereby the first selector portout of the two selector ports formed in the housing communicates withthe inlet port through the first space, while the second selector portout of the two selector ports communicates with the outlet port throughthe second space, and a place to which the second pressure chamber iscommunicated is selected from the second introducing port to the firstintroducing port.

[0320] Since a pressure of the fluid in a place to which the firstintroducing port is communicated is set higher to some extent than thatin a place to which the second introducing port is communicated, evenwhen a pressure of the fluid in the first space is kept very low afterthe movable member has moved from the second position to the firstposition, a force applied to the movable member from the second pressurechamber side exceeds a force applied to the movable member from thefirst space side, thereby the movable member keeps staying at the firstposition.

[0321] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 35, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 34, when the movable member is situatedat the first position, as long as a force applied to the movable memberby the fluid in the first space is lower than a resultant force of theenergizing force by the energizing means and a force applied to themovable member by the fluid, which flowed into the second pressurechamber from a place to which the first introducing port iscommunicated, or is lower than a force consisting of said resultantforce and a static friction force between the seat valve and the movablemember, the movable member keeps staying at the first position.

[0322] On the other hand, a pressure of the fluid in the first spaceincreases so that a force applied to the movable member by the fluid inthe first space exceeds a resultant force of the energizing force by theenergizing means and a force applied to the movable member by the fluid,which flowed into the second pressure chamber from a place to which thefirst introducing port is communicated, or exceeds a force consisting ofsaid resultant force and a static friction force between the seat valveand the movable member, the movable member moves from the first positionto the second position in the housing.

[0323] Here, if a pressure of the fluid in a place to which the secondintroducing port is communicated is set lower to some extent than thatin a place to which the first introducing port is communicated, evenwhen a pressure of the fluid in the first space decreases to someextent, a force applied to the movable member from the first space sideexceeds a resultant force consisting of the energizing force by theenergizing means and a force applied to the movable member by the fluidflowed into the second pressure chamber, or exceeds a force, which isresulted by subtracting a static friction force between the valve seatand the movable member from said resultant force consisting of theenergizing force by the energizing means and a force applied to themovable member by the fluid flowed into the second pressure chamber,thereby the movable member keeps staying at the second position.

[0324] Since a pressure of the fluid in a place to which the firstintroducing port is communicated is set higher to some extent than thatin a place to which the second introducing port is communicated, evenwhen a pressure of the fluid in the first space is kept very low afterthe movable member has moved from the second position to the firstposition, a resultant force consisting of the energizing force by theenergizing means and a force applied to the movable member by the fluidflowed into the second pressure chamber, or a force, which is resultedby subtracting a static friction force between the valve seat and themovable member from said resultant force consisting of the energizingforce by the energizing means and a force applied to the movable memberby the fluid flowed into the second pressure chamber, exceeds a forceapplied to the movable member from the first space side, thereby themovable member keeps staying at the first position.

[0325] According to a method of driving the channel selector valve ofthe present invention as described in claim 36, when the channelselector valve of the present invention as described in claim 35 isdrived, a pressure of fluid introduced into the first space from theexterior of the housing by way of the inlet port is set higher than apredetermined value, so that a force, which is applied to the movablemember by fluid existing in the first space in a direction from thefirst position to the second position, is set stronger than a force,which is applied to the movable member by fluid existing in the place towhich the second pressure chamber is communicated in a direction fromthe second position to the first position, thereby the movable:membermoves from the first position to the second position, in additionthereafter, a pressure of fluid existing in the first space and apressure of fluid existing in the second pressure chamber are set sothat the movable member is kept staying at the second position.

[0326] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 37, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 7, an opening ratio of theelectrically-driven expansion valve in the refrigerating cycle ischanged to change a pressure of fluid in the refrigerating cycle,thereby a balance, between a force that the fluid in the channelselector valve is applied to the movable member to move from the firstposition to the second position and a force that the fluid in thechannel selector valve is applied to the movable member to move from thesecond position to the first position, changes, thereby the movablemember moves between the first and second positions.

[0327] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 38, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 7, when a frequency of an oscillationgenerated by the compressor in the refrigerating cycle is changed, amember that responds only to a specific frequency produces a change incondition, then a pressure of the fluid in the second pressure chamberchanges, thereby a balance, between a force that the fluid in thechannel selector valve is applied to the movable member to move from thefirst position to the second position and a force that the fluid in thechannel selector valve is applied to the movable member to move from thesecond position to the first position, changes, thereby the movablemember moves between the first and second positions.

[0328] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 39, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 7, a heat-exchange capacity by the heatexchanger in the refrigerating cycle is adjusted and a difference influid pressure is changed by a difference in amount of heat exchange bythe heat exchanger, then a pressure of the fluid in the refrigeratingcycle changes, thereby a balance, between a force that the fluid in thechannel selector valve is applied to the movable member to move from thefirst position to the second position and a force that the fluid in thechannel selector valve is applied to the movable member to move from thesecond position to the first position, changes, thereby the movablemember moves between the first and second positions.

[0329] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 40, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 13, a rotary-type four-way selectorvalve is constructed by the channel selector valve, in which when themain valve element as the movable member rotates around the central axisin the housing so as to move between the first and second positions, aplace to which the inlet port as the main port is communicated bycommunication means provided in the main valve element is selectedbetween a first selector port and a second selector port out of twoselector ports provided at an end side of the housing.

[0330] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 41, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 40, one port formed on the valve seatout of the inlet port and the outlet port communicates with a firstselector port of the valve seat when the main valve elemnet is situatedat the first position, while communicates with a second selector port ofthe valve seat when the main valve elemnet is situated at the secondposition, not by communication means but by second communication meansformed at one end surface of the main valve element that sits down onthe valve seat.

[0331] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 42, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 41, by a communication channel forcommunicating one end surface side of the main valve element to anotherend surface side thereof, when the main valve element is situated at thefirst position, the second selector port formed on the valve seat at oneend side of the housing communicates with another port formed at anotherend side of the housing, while when the main valve element is situatedat the second position, the second selector port formed on the valveseat at one end side of the housing communicates with the first selectorport formed on the valve seat.

[0332] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 43, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 40, when the main valve element is movedin a direction of the central axis of the housing by the driving means,this movement is transformed into a rotation around the central axis ofthe housing by the conversion means of moving direction, thereby themain valve element is rotated between the first and second positions.

[0333] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 44, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 43, while the main valve element movesin a direction of the central axis of the housing, in the inside of thecam groove provided in one out of the main valve element and thehousing, a cam follower pin provided in another out of the main valveelement and the housing moves, thereby a movement of the main valveelement in a direction of the central axis of the housing is transformedinto a rotation around the central axis of the housing.

[0334] Then, the cam groove has a first and second cam groovescontinuing with each other in the rotational direction of the main valveelement, since the first cam groove is formed inclined so as to partfrom the valve seat in a direction of the central axis as beingdisplaced in the rotarional direction, while the second cam groove isformed inclined so as to move nearer to the valve seat in a direction ofthe central axis as being displaced in the rotarional direction, whenthe main valve element proceeds and returns in a direction of thecentral axis of the housing, the main valve element rotates between thefirst and second positions, with the cam follower pin being guided alongthe first and second cam grooves.

[0335] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 45, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 44, the cam follower pin formed on themain valve element is disposed between a first and second half of aninner housing, then each end of the first and second half is joinedtogether, thereby the main valve element is received in the innerhousing and by the inner housing the main valve element is movable in adirection of the central axis of the housing and is supported rotatablyaround the central axis.

[0336] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 46, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 44 or 45, when the main valve element,which is moved in a direction of the central axis by the driving means,rotates around the central axis of the housing with its movement beingtransformed by the conversion means of moving direction, one end surfaceof the main valve element sits down on the valve seat only whensituating at the first or the second position, thereby one port of thevalve seat selectively communicates with one out of the first selectorport and the second selector port of the valve seat, by secondcommunication means formed at one end surface of the main valve element.

[0337] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 47, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 46, when the main valve element issituated at the first or second position where one end surface of themain valve element sits down on the valve seat, the communicationchannel is opened by a subvalve opened by the valve-opening means, thenone end surface side of the main valve element communicates with anotherend surface side thereof, and by this communication channel anotherport, which is formed at another end side of the housing and forms amain port, communicates with the second selector port formed on thevalve seat when the main valve element is situated at the firstposition, while communicates with the first selector port formed on thevalve seat when the main valve element is situated at the secondposition.

[0338] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 48, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 47, when the main valve element sat downon the valve seat is moved in the direction away from the valve seat bythe driving means, an own weight of the main valve is utilized as atleast a part of non-electric motive power.

[0339] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 49, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 47 or 48, when the main valve elementsat down on the valve seat is moved in the direction away from the valveseat by the driving means, an energizing force stored in the energizingmeans for energizing the main valve element is utilized as at least apart of non-electric motive power.

[0340] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 50, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 47 or 48, when the main valve elementaway from the valve seat is moved in the direction nearer to the valveseat by the driving means, an energizing force stored in the secondenergizing means for energizing the main valve element is utilized as atleast a part of non-electric motive power.

[0341] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 51, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 50, when a pressure of the fluid at oneport exceeds that at another port, the main valve element, situated atan intermediate position by a resultant force of an energizing force ofthe energizing means for energizing the main valve element and that ofthe second energizing means for energizing the main valve element, movesin the direction away from the valve seat with rotating against theenergizing force of the second energizing means for energizing the mainvalve element.

[0342] To the contrary, when a pressure of the fluid at one port islower than that at another port, the main valve element situated at aneutral position, one end surface of which is away from the valve seat,moves in the direction nearer to the valve seat with rotating againstthe energizing force of the energizing means for energizing the mainvalve element.

[0343] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 52, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 51, whether the cam follower pin,situated at an intermediate position of the cam groove, is in the firstcam groobe or in the second cam groove, when a pressure of the fluid atone port is lower than that at another port, the main valve elementsituated at the neutral position moves in the direction nearer to thevalve seat, then the cam follower pin moves to the groove by way ofeither one end of the first cam groove or that of the second cam groove,thereby the main valve element rotates to be situated at either thefirst or second position.

[0344] Then, in a state that the cam follower pin is situated in thegroove, when a state that a pressure of the fluid at the one port islower than that at the another port is canceled, the cam follower pinsituated in the groove moves to another end side of the cam groove byway of one end of the cam groove out of the first and second camgrooves, which is situated at a down stream side in the direction of therotation, thereby the main valve element rotates around the cental axisfrom the first or second position and the main valve element moves awayfrom the valve seat to be situated at the neutral position.

[0345] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 53, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 51 or 52, whether the cam follower pin,situated at an intermediate position of the cam groove, is in the firstcam groobe or in the second cam groove, when a pressure of the fluid atone port is higher than that at another port, the main valve elementsituated at the neutral position moves in the direction away from thevalve seat, then the cam follower pin moves to the second groove by wayof either another end of the first cam groove or that of the second camgroove, thereby the main valve element rotates to be situated at anintermediate position between the first and second positions around thecentral axis.

[0346] Then, in a state that the cam follower pin is situated in thesecond groove, when a state that a pressure of the fluid at the one portis higher than that at the another port is canceled, the cam followerpin situated in the second groove moves to another end side of the camgroove by way of one end of the cam groove out of the first and secondcam grooves, which is situated at a down stream side in the direction ofthe rotation, thereby the main valve element rotates around the centalaxis from the intermediate position between the first and secondpositions and the main valve element moves nearer to the valve seat tobe situated at the neutral position.

[0347] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 54, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in any one of claims 40-53, when the main valveelement moves in a direction of the central axis or rotates around thecentral axis with respect to the housing, a sliding resistance betweenthe housing and the main valve element is reduced by slide means.

[0348] According to a compressor with the channel selector valve of thepresent invention as described in claim 55, a compressor housing part,in which a high pressure chamber from which the fluid compressed by acompressing section of the compessor is introduced is formed, isintegrally formed with a housing part, in which an inlet port isprovided, out of the housing of the channel selector valve as describedin any one of claims 10-14, 16, 18-27, 29-30, 32-35, and 37-54, therebythe compressor housing is integrated with the housing of the channelselector valve.

[0349] According to a device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 56, the channel selectorvalve is controlled by controlling the functional components forcontrolling the operation of the refrigerating cycle.

[0350] According to a device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 57, the functional componentis controlled to control an operation of the refrigerating cycle,thereby generating a non-electrical motive power, by which the channelselector valve is passively controlled.

[0351] According to a device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 58, by using amicrocomputer, which controls an operation of the refrigerating cycle,the functional component is controlled to control an operation of therefrigerating cycle, thereby generating a non-electrical motive power,by which the channel selector valve is passively controlled.

[0352] According to a device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 59, the functional componentis controlled to control an operation of the refrigerating cycle,thereby a physical quantity or a rate of change in the physical quantityis generated as a non-electrical motive power, by which the channelselector valve is passively controlled.

[0353] According to a device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 60, by using amicrocomputer, which controls an operation of the refrigerating cycle,the functional component is controlled to control an operation of therefrigerating cycle, thereby a physical quantity or a rate of change inthe physical quantity is generated as a non-electrical motive power, bywhich the channel selector valve is passively controlled.

[0354] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 61, the device actssimilarly to the device described in claim 57, 58, 59 or 60, in order togenerate a non-electrical motive power for controlling the channelselector valve, the functional component is controlled on the basis of aphysical quantity, which concerns with a control of an operation of therefrigerating cycle, selected from the group consisting of a pressure,temperature, rate of flow, voltage, current, electrical frequency andmechanical oscillation frequency.

[0355] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 62, the device actssimilarly to the device described in claim 57, 58, 59 or 60, thephysical quantity, which is the non-electrical motive power and isgenerated by the refrigerating cycle, is a pressure, differentialpressure or rate of flow with respect to fluid existing in the channelselector valve, and the rate of change in a physical quantity, which isthe non-electrical motive power and is generated by the refrigeratingcycle, is a rate of change in pressure, rate of change in differentialpressure or rate of change in rate of flow with respect to the fluid.

[0356] According to a device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 63, an operational conditionof the refrigerating cycle is commanded from an operation commandsection and a physical quantity generated by the refrigerating cycle isdetected in a physical quantity detector section, then the controlsection receives input signals sent from the operation command sectionand the physical quantity detector section. Then, the control sectionsends output signals to a driving section that drives a drive source ofat least one of a plurality of functional components communicated to therefrigerating cycle so as to control said functional component, and thedevice generates a non-electrical motive power by controlling therefrigerating cycle and passively controls the channel selector valve bysaid motive power.

[0357] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 64, the device actssimilarly to the device described in claim 63, the control sectioncontrols at least one of a plurality of functional componentscommunicated to the refrigerating cycle so as to start an operation ofthe refrigerating cycle, thereby controlling the channel selector valvein a state corresponding to the start of an operation, which iscommanded by the operation command section.

[0358] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 65, the device actssimilarly to the device described in claim 64, the control sectionstarts to operate a compressor communicated to the refrigerating cyclein a direction of inverse rotation when the control section decides toselect the channel selector valve on the basis of a command of theoperation command section, thereby a channel is selected by the cahnnelselector valve.

[0359] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 66, the device actssimilarly to the device described in claim 63, the control sectioncontrols at least one of a plurality of functional componentscommunicated to the refrigerating cycle so as to operate therefrigerating cycle, thereby controlling the channel selector valve in astate corresponding to the operation, which is commanded by theoperation command section.

[0360] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 67, the device actssimilarly to the device described in claim 63, the control sectioncontrols at least one of a plurality of functional componentscommunicated to the refrigerating cycle so as to halt an operation ofthe refrigerating cycle, thereby controlling the channel selector valvein a state corresponding to the halt of the operation, which iscommanded by the operation command section.

[0361] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 68, the device actssimilarly to the device as described in any one of claims 63-67, thechannel selector valve is constructed in a manner that a movable membermoves so as to select a channel, and the control section comprises atleast one unit selected from the group consisting of: a memory unit formemorizing position data of the movable member of the channel selectorvalve; a comparison unit and a judge unit for comparing and judging,respectively, the position data and operation command data; and alearning unit learning on the basis of physical quantity data by acontrol of functional components and control data of the channelselector valve.

[0362] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 69, the device actssimilarly to the device as described in claim 68, the control sectionreceives the input signals, performs a predetermined processing andjudges whether a channel is to be changed or not to be changed by thechannel selector valve, then confirms a position on the basis of presentposition data, then sends the output signals to the driving section soas to control the functional components in the refrigerating cycle, thenreceives new input signals after a predetermined period of time,confirms a position of the movable member, and sets position data ofsaid position as new present position data when said position is changedto a new position.

[0363] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 70, the device actssimilarly to the device as described in claim 69, the control sectionconfirms a position of the movable member by at least one temperaturedetection means, at least one pressure detection means, at least onemagnetic detection means, at least one current detection means or acombination thereof after a predetermined period of time, and theninstalls position data corresponding to said position into the memoryunit of the control section.

[0364] According to a device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 71, a microcomputer thatcontrols the refrigerating cycle is used, thereby controlling at leastone of a plurality of functional components communicated to therefrigerating cycle so as to control the refrigerating cycle, and inorder to control the driving section for driving the functionalcomponent so that the position of the movable member is to be moved ornot to be moved, the microcomputer performs a processing consisting ofthe steps of:

[0365] receiving input signals; confirming a position by taking outpresent position data of a movable member installed in a memory unit;carrying out an operation to decide whether the movable member is to bemoved of not to be moved, comparing, and judging; selecting and decidinga driving section; outputting drive signals to the driving sectionselected and decided; judging a position of the movable member by inputsignals after a predetermined period of time, with or without moving aposition of the movable member by a physical quantity generated by atleast one functional component that is selected and decided in said stepof selecting and deciding or a rate of the physical quantity; andinstalling position data of a position of the movable member into thememory unit when said position is changed to a new position.

[0366] According to a device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 72, an operational conditionof the refrigerating cycle is commanded from an operation commandsection and a physical quantity generated by the refrigerating cycle isdetected in a physical quantity detector section, then the controlsection receives input signals sent from the operation command sectionand the physical quantity detector section. Then, the control sectionsends output signals to a driving section that drives a drive source ofat least one of a plurality of functional components communicated to therefrigerating cycle so as to control said functional component forcontrolling an operation of the refrigerating cycle, and when judging toselect a channel by using the channel selector valve on the basis of acommand of the operation command section, the control section sendsoutput signals to a driving section for driving a power source of acompressor so as to start an operation of the compressor of therefrigerating cycle and starts an operation of the refrigerant cycle soas to generate a motive power exceeding a first predetermined motivepower, thereby the channel selector valve is passively controlled.

[0367] According to a device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 73, an operational conditionof the refrigerating cycle is commanded from an operation commandsection and a physical quantity generated by the refrigerating cycle isdetected in a physical quantity detector section, then the controlsection receives input signals sent from the operation command sectionand the physical quantity detector section. Then, the control sectionsends output signals to a driving section that drives a drive source ofat least one of a plurality of functional components communicated to therefrigerating cycle so as to control said functional component forcontrolling an operation of the refrigerating cycle, and when judging toselect a channel by using the channel selector valve on the basis of acommand of the operation command section, the control section sendsoutput signals to a driving section for driving a power source of acompressor so as to start an operation of the compressor in a directionof inverse rotation and starts an operation of the refrigerant cycle soas to generate a motive power exceeding a third predetermined motivepower, thereby the channel selector valve is passively controlled.

[0368] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 74, the device actssimilarly to the device as described in claim 72 or 73, the channelselector valve selects a channel by moving the movable member betweenthe first and second positions in response to an internal motive power,the control section memorizes position data corresponding to the firstor second position of the movable member in a memory unit thereof, thecontrol section starts an operation of the refrigerating cycle when theposition data indicates the second or first position, halts theoperation of the refrigerating cycle with renewing position data in thememory unit to the first or second position, respectively, after a firstpredetermined period of time, and keeps the operation of therefrigerating cycle standby during a third predetermined period of time.

[0369] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 75, the device actssimilarly to the device as described in claim 72, the control sectionoperates the compressor in a specific frequency immediately afterstarting the operation of the compressor and starts an operation of therefrigerating cycle so that a motive power exceeding a firstpredetermined motive power is generated as an internal motive power ofthe channel selector valve.

[0370] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 76, the device actssimilarly to the device as described in claim 72, the control sectionstarts an operation of the compressor with a first predeterminedcapacity.

[0371] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 77, the device actssimilarly to the device as described in claim 72, the control sectionstarts an operation of the compressor with a second predeterminedcapacity so that a motive power lower than a first predetermined motivepower is generated as an internal motive power of the channel selectorvalve, then operates the refrigerating cycle for a fourth predeterminedperiod of time, then halts the operation of the refrigerating cycle fora fifth predetermined period of time, and then starts an operation ofthe compressor with a first predetermined capacity so that a motivepower exceeding a first predetermined motive power is generated as aninternal motive power of the channel selector valve.

[0372] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 78, the device actssimilarly to the device as described in claim 72, the control sectionsends output signals to a throttle device driving section so that anopening ratio of a throttle device of the refrigerating cycle is almostfully opened or almost fully closed.

[0373] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 79, the device actssimilarly to the device as described in claim 72, the control sectionsends output signals to a heat exchanger motor driving section so that aheat exchanger motor of the refrigerating cycle is kept halted.

[0374] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 80, the device actssimilarly to the device as described in claim 72, 75, 76 or 77, once thecontrol section starts an operation of the compressor, the controlsection sends output signals to the compressor driving section after afirst predetermined period of time and drives the power source of thecompressor so that a motive power exceeding a second predeterminedmotive power is generated, thereby operating the refrigerating cycle.

[0375] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 81, the device actssimilarly to the device as described in claim 78, once the controlsection starts an operation of the compressor, the control section sendsoutput signals to the throttle device driving section so as to set theopening ratio of the throttle device a predetermined opening ratio aftera first predetermined period of time.

[0376] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 82, the device actssimilarly to the device as described in claim 79, once the controlsection starts an operation of the compressor, the control section sendsoutput signals to the heat exchanger motor driving section after asecond predetermined period of time so as to start an operation of theheat exchanger motor, sends output signals to the compressor drivingsection so as to generate a motive power lower than a firstpredetermined motive power, and drives the power source of thecompressor so as to generate a motive power exceeding a secondpredetermined motive power, thereby operating the refrigerating cycle.

[0377] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 83, the device actssimilarly to the device as described in claim 80, 81 or 82, when thecontrol section performs a predetermined processing and judges to selecta channel by the channel selector valve or to halt an operation of therefrigerating cycle, the control section sends output signals to thecompressor driving section: to drive the power source of the compressorwith a third predetermined capacity so as to generate a motive powerlower than a second predetermined motive power; or to halt the operationof the compressor, thereby halting the operation of the refrigeratingcycle.

[0378] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 84, the device actssimilarly to the device as described in claim 72, when the controlsection performs a predetermined processing and judges to select achannel by the channel selector valve or to halt an operation of therefrigerating cycle, the control section sends output signals to thecompressor driving section to halt the operation of the compressor, thenkeeps the refrigerating cycle standby for a third predetermined periodof time, then sends output signals to the compressor driving section tostart the operation of the compressor, then renews position data in amemory unit to a first or second position after a first predeterminedperiod of time, thereby halting the operation of the compressor again.

[0379] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 85, the device actssimilarly to the device as described in claim 72, 74 or 84, whenpositional data memorized by a memory unit of the control sectionindicate a first or second position, the control section starts anoperation of the refrigerating cycle so that a motive power exceeding afirst predetermined motive power is generated as an internal motivepower of the channel selector valve.

[0380] According to a device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 86, an operational conditionof the refrigerating cycle is commanded from an operation commandsection and a physical quantity generated by the refrigerating cycle isdetected in a physical quantity detector section, then the controlsection receives input signals sent from the operation command sectionand the physical quantity detector section. Then, the control sectionsends output signals to a driving section that drives a drive source ofat least one of a plurality of functional components communicated to therefrigerating cycle so as to control said functional component forcontrolling an operation of the refrigerating cycle, and when judgingnot to select (i.e. not to switch) a channel by using the channelselector valve on the basis of a command of the operation commandsection, the control section sends output signals to a driving sectionfor driving a power source of a compressor so as to start an operationof the compressor of the refrigerating cycle and starts an operation ofthe refrigerant cycle so as to generate a motive power lower than afirst predetermined motive power, thereby the channel selector valve ispassively controlled.

[0381] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 87, the device actssimilarly to the device as described in claim 86, the control sectionstarts an operation of the compressor with a second predeterminedcapacity.

[0382] According to a device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 88, an operational conditionof the refrigerating cycle is commanded from an operation commandsection and a physical quantity generated by the refrigerating cycle isdetected in a physical quantity detector section, then the controlsection receives input signals sent from the operation command sectionand the physical quantity detector section. Then, the control sectionsends output signals to a driving section that drives a drive source ofat least one of a plurality of functional components communicated to therefrigerating cycle so as to control said functional component forcontrolling an operation of the refrigerating cycle, and when judgingnot to select (i.e. not to switch) a channel by using the channelselector valve on the basis of a command of the operation commandsection, the control section sends output signals to a driving sectionfor driving a power source of a compressor so as to start an operationof the compressor of the refrigerating cycle and starts an operation ofthe refrigerant cycle so as to generate a motive power exceeding a firstpredetermined motive power, thereby the channel selector valve ispassively controlled.

[0383] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 89, the device actssimilarly to the device as described in claim 88, when the controlsection performs a predetermined processing and judges to halt anoperation of the refrigerating cycle, the control section sends outputsignals to the compressor driving section so as to halt the operation ofthe compressor, then keeps the refrigerating cycle standby for a thirdpredetermined period of time without renewing position data in a memoryunit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0384]FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a schematic constitution of arefrigerating cycle employing a channel selector valve according to afirst embodiment of the present invention.

[0385]FIG. 2 is a view illustrating a schematic constitution of arefrigerating cycle, in which a sectional view of the channel selectorvalve of FIG. 1 in a cooling mode is shown.

[0386]FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a schematic constitution of arefrigerating cycle employing a channel selector valve according to asecond embodiment of the present invention.

[0387]FIG. 4 is a front view illustrating a modified example of achannel selector valve according to the first or second embodiment ofthe present invention.

[0388]FIG. 5 is a side view of the channel selector valve of FIG. 4.

[0389]FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a schematic constitution of arefrigerating cycle employing a channel selector valve according to athird embodiment of the present invention.

[0390]FIG. 7 is a view illustrating a schematic constitution of arefrigerating cycle, in which a sectional view of the channel selectorvalve of FIG. 6 in a cooling mode is shown.

[0391]FIG. 8 is a view illustrating a schematic constitution of arefrigerating cycle employing a channel selector valve according to afourth embodiment of the present invention.

[0392]FIG. 9 is a view illustrating a schematic constitution of arefrigerating cycle employing a channel selector valve according to afifth embodiment of the present invention.

[0393]FIG. 10 is a view illustrating a schematic constitution of arefrigerating cycle, in which a sectional view of the channel selectorvalve of FIG. 9 in a cooling mode is shown.

[0394]FIG. 11 is an enlarged sectional view of a primary part of a latchmechanism of FIG. 9.

[0395]FIG. 12 is an enlarged development of a primary part of an innercylinder of FIG. 11.

[0396]FIG. 13 is an enlarged sectional view of a primary part of a latchmechanism of FIG. 9.

[0397]FIG. 14 is an enlarged sectional view of a primary part of a latchmechanism of FIG. 9.

[0398]FIG. 15 is a view illustrating a schematic constitution of arefrigerating cycle employing a channel selector valve according to asixth embodiment of the present invention.

[0399]FIG. 16 is a view illustrating a schematic constitution of a latchmechanism usable instead of the latch mechanism of FIGS. 9 or 15.

[0400]FIG. 17 is a development of a cam groove, along which a camfollower pin of FIG. 16 moves.

[0401]FIG. 18 is a view illustrating a schematic constitution of arefrigerating cycle employing a channel selector valve according to aseventh embodiment of the present invention.

[0402]FIG. 19 is an enlarged sectional view of a primary part of a pilotvalve mechanism of FIG. 18.

[0403]FIG. 20 is an enlarged sectional view of a primary part of a pilotvalve mechanism of FIG. 18.

[0404]FIG. 21 is an enlarged sectional view of a primary part of a pilotvalve mechanism of FIG. 18.

[0405]FIG. 22 is a view illustrating a schematic constitution of arefrigerating cycle, in which a sectional view of the channel selectorvalve of FIG. 18 in a cooling mode is shown.

[0406]FIG. 23 is a view illustrating a schematic constitution of arefrigerating cycle employing a channel selector valve according to aeighth embodiment of the present invention.

[0407]FIG. 24 is a view illustrating a schematic constitution of arefrigerating cycle employing a channel selector valve according to aninth embodiment of the present invention.

[0408]FIG. 25 is a view illustrating a schematic constitution of arefrigerating cycle, in which a sectional view of the channel selectorvalve of FIG. 24 in a cooling mode is shown.

[0409]FIG. 26 is an enlarged sectional view of a primary part of astate-holding selector valve of FIG. 24.

[0410]FIG. 27 is an enlarged sectional view of a primary part of astate-holding selector valve of FIG. 24.

[0411]FIG. 28 is a view illustrating a schematic constitution of arefrigerating cycle employing a channel selector valve according to atenth embodiment of the present invention.

[0412]FIG. 29 is an enlarged sectional view of a pilot oscillating valveof FIG. 28.

[0413]FIG. 30 is a view illustrating a schematic constitution of arefrigerating cycle employing a channel selector valve according to aeleventh embodiment of the present invention.

[0414]FIG. 31 is an enlarged sectional view of a differential pressureselector valve of FIG. 30.

[0415]FIG. 32 is a view illustrating a schematic constitution of arefrigerating cycle employing a channel selector valve according to atwelveth embodiment of the present invention.

[0416]FIG. 33 is a view illustrating a schematic constitution of arefrigerating cycle employing a channel selector valve according to athirteenth embodiment of the present invention.

[0417]FIG. 34 is a view illustrating a schematic constitution of arefrigerating cycle employing a channel selector valve according to afourteenth embodiment of the present invention.

[0418]FIG. 35 is a view illustrating a schematic constitution of arefrigerating cycle employing a rotary channel selector valve, to whicha channel selector valve of the present invention can be applied.

[0419]FIG. 36 is a sectional view of a channel selector valve accordingto a fifteenth embodiment of the present invention, which can beemployed as the rotary channel selector valve of FIG. 35.

[0420]FIG. 37 is a side view of an upper inner housing of FIG. 36.

[0421]FIG. 38 is a side view of a lower inner housing of FIG. 36.

[0422]FIG. 39 is a side view of each upper and lower inner housing ofFIG. 36 in a state of each of them being inserted in the outer housingof FIG. 36.

[0423]FIG. 40 is a plan view of a valve seat of FIG. 36.

[0424]FIG. 41 is a sectional view taken along A-A line of FIG. 36.

[0425]FIG. 42 is a sectional view of a channel selector valve of FIG. 36in a cooling mode.

[0426]FIG. 43 is a sectional view of a channel selector valve of FIG. 36in a heating mode.

[0427]FIG. 44 is a development of a cam groove of FIG. 39.

[0428]FIG. 45 is a view illustrating a relative positional relationshipbetween a main valve element and a valve seat with respect to theirdirection of rotation.

[0429]FIG. 46 is a sectional view of a channel selector valve accordingto a sixteenth embodiment of the present invention, which can beemployed as the rotary channel selector valve of FIG. 35.

[0430]FIG. 47 is a sectional view of a channel selector valve accordingto a seventeenth embodiment of the present invention, which can beemployed as the rotary channel selector valve of FIG. 35.

[0431]FIG. 48 is a sectional view of a channel selector valve accordingto a eighteenth embodiment of the present invention, which can beemployed as the rotary channel selector valve of FIG. 35.

[0432]FIG. 49 is a development of a cam groove of FIG. 48.

[0433]FIG. 50 is a sectional view of a channel selector valve of FIG. 48in a cooling mode.

[0434]FIG. 51 is a development of a cam groove of FIG. 48.

[0435]FIG. 52 is a sectional view of a channel selector valve of FIG. 48upon switching between a cooling and heating mode.

[0436]FIG. 53 is a sectional view of a channel selector valve of FIG. 48in a heating mode.

[0437]FIG. 54 is a sectional view of a channel selector valve accordingto a nineteenth embodiment of the present invention, which can beemployed as the rotary channel selector valve of FIG. 35.

[0438]FIG. 55 is a side view of a rotating central shaft of FIG. 54.

[0439]FIG. 56 is a development of a cam groove of FIG. 55.

[0440]FIG. 57 is an enlarged sectional view of a primary part of a mainvalve element of FIG. 54.

[0441]FIG. 58 is a sectional view of a channel selector valve accordingto a twentieth embodiment of the present invention, which can beemployed as the rotary channel selector valve of FIG. 35.

[0442]FIG. 59 is a development of a cam groove of FIG. 58.

[0443]FIG. 60 is a view illustrating a schematic constitution of arefrigerating cycle employing a compressor with a channel selector valveaccording to a twenty first embodiment of the present invention.

[0444]FIG. 61 is a view illustrating a schematic constitution of arefrigerating cycle employing a compressor with a channel selector valveaccording to a twenty second embodiment of the present invention.

[0445]FIG. 62 is a block diagram according to an embodiment of a devicefor controlling a refrigerating cycle of the present invention.

[0446]FIG. 63 is a block diagram illustrating an example of arefrigerating cycle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0447]FIG. 64 is a block diagram principally illustrating an electricsystem of an indoor and outdoor control according to an embodiment ofthe present invention.

[0448]FIG. 65 is a block diagram illustrating a flow of signal andaction according to an embodiment of a device for controlling arefrigerating cycle of the present invention.

[0449]FIG. 66 is a part of a flow chart of a main routine according toan embodiment of the present invention.

[0450]FIG. 67 is another part of a flow chart of a main routineaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0451]FIG. 68 is a flow chart of a sub-routine for a channel selectorvalve according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0452]FIG. 69 is a flow chart of steps of transferring liquidrefrigerant according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0453]FIG. 70 is a flow chart of a sub-routine for a channel selectorvalve according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0454]FIG. 71 is a flow chart of a sub-routine for a channel selectorvalve according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

[0455]FIG. 72 is a flow chart of a sub-routine when a position of acapillary tube according to the third embodiment of the presentinvention is exchanged with that of an electrically-driven expansionvalve.

[0456]FIG. 73 is a flow chart of a sub-routine for a channel selectorvalve according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[0457]FIG. 74 is a flow chart of a sub-routine for a channel selectorvalve according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

[0458]FIG. 75 is a flow chart of a sub-routine for a channel selectorvalve according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRING OUT THE INVENTION

[0459] In the following, the channel selector valve and the method ofdriving the same according to the present invention will be explainedwith reference to the attached drawings.

[0460]FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a schematic constitution of arefrigerating cycle employing a channel selector valve according to afirst embodiment of the present invention. The channel selector valveaccording to the first embodiment constitutes a refrigerating cycle Atogether with a compressor 4, an indoor heat exchanger 9A, an outdoorheat exchanger 9B and a throttle 10 of an electrically-driven expansionvalve or a capillary tube, wherein the throttle 10 is provided betweenthe indoor heat exchanger 9A and the outdoor heat exchanger 9B.

[0461] The channel selector valve according to the first embodiment, anoperating state of which in the heating mode is shown in FIG. 1 with asectional view thereof, has a cylindrical reversing valve housing 1, toboth ends of which stoppers 2 and 3 are firmly fixed.

[0462] An outlet pipe 5 communicating with an outlet (not shown in thefigure) of the compressor 4 is connected to one side of the periphery ofthe reversing valve housing 1, while an inlet pipe 6 communicating withan inlet (not shown in the figure) of the compressor 4 and two pipes 7and 8 disposed at both sides of the inlet pipe 6 in an axial directionof the reversing valve housing 1 are connected to an opposite side ofthe periphery of the reversing valve housing 1, wherein the pipes 7 and8 constitute the refrigerating cycle A together with the channelselector valve and the compressor 4 and are connected to two heatexchangers 9A and 9B disposed indoors and outdoors, respectively, whichare utilized reversibly as a condenser or an evaporator.

[0463] Inner ends of the inlet pipe 6 and the pipes 7 and 8 areconnected to three through holes 11 a, 11 b and 11 c on a selector valveseat 11 firmly fixed in the reversing valve housing 1, respectively, anda continuous smooth surface 11 d is formed on the inner side of thevalve seat 11.

[0464] In the reversing valve housing 1, there is provided a pistoncylinder 12 (corresponding to the movable member) between the valve seat11 and the stopper 3, which partitions the reversing valve housing 1into a high pressure chamber R₁ (corresponding to the first pressurechamber) and a pressure-transducing chamber R₂ (corresponding to thesecond pressure chamber). There is provided a compression spring 13(corresponding to energizing means) between the piston cylinder 12 andthe stopper 3, thereby the piston cylinder 12 is always energized towardthe high pressure chamber R₁.

[0465] On the valve seat 11, there is provided a slide valve 27 having acommunication cavity 27 a, which is joined to the piston cylinder 12 inuse of a connecting shaft 28 and slides on the smooth surface lid inresponse to the movement of the piston 12 in the reversing valve housing1, thereby the through hole 11 a corresponding to the inlet pipe 6alternatively communicates with the through hole 11 b or 11 c, each ofwhich puts the through hole 11 a therebetween and corresponds to therespective pipe 7 or 8 for the respective heat exchanger.

[0466]FIG. 2 is a view illustrating a schematic constitution of arefrigerating cycle, in which a sectional view of the channel selectorvalve in a cooling mode is shown.

[0467] That is, the piston cylinder 12 can move between a first positionand a second position: at said first position, the piston cylinder 12 isprevented from moving further toward the stopper 2 because an end of theconnecting shaft 28 abuts on the stopper 2 as shown in FIG. 1; and atsaid second position, the piston cylinder 12 is prevented from movingfurther toward the stopper 3 because the piston cylinder 12 abuts on thestopper 3 as shown in FIG. 2.

[0468] As shown in FIG. 1, when the piston cylinder 12 is at the firstposition, the slide valve 27 communicates the through hole 11 acorresponding to the inlet pipe 6 to the through hole 11 c correspondingto the pipe 8 through a low-pressure side closed space (hereinafter, aclosed space) S1 (corresponding to the second space), which is formed inthe high pressure chamber R₁ by the cavity 27 a and the smooth surface11 d of the valve seat 11, while the through hole 11 b corresponding tothe pipe 7 communicates with the outlet pipe 5 through a high pressureside closed space (hereinafter, a high pressure space) S2 (correspondingto the first space), which is formed in the high pressure chamber R₁ bythe slide valve 27 and isolated from the closed space S1.

[0469] Then, as shown in FIG. 2, when the piston cylinder 12 is at thesecond position, the slide valve 27 communicates the through hole 11 acorresponding to the inlet pipe 6 to the through hole 11 b correspondingto the pipe 7 through the closed space S1, while the through hole 11 ccorresponding to the pipe 8 communicates with the outlet pipe 5 throughthe high pressure space S2.

[0470] Further, an end of a channel 14 (corresponding to thecommunication pipe) is connected to the stopper 3, while the oppositeend of the channel 14 is connected to the pipe 7 by way of the outsideof the reversing valve housing 1, whereby the pressure-transducingchamber R₂ always communicates with the pipe 7 through the channel 14.

[0471] As to the first embodiment, the reversing valve housing 1 and thestoppers 2 and 3 constitute the housing described in the claims of thisspecification, a portion of the reversing valve housing 1, to which theoutlet pipe 5 connected to the outlet of the compressor 4 is connected,corresponds to the inlet port described in the claims of thisspecification, while the through hole 11 a on the valve seat 11, towhich the inlet pipe 6 connected to the inlet of the compressor 4 isconnected, corresponds to the outlet port described in the claims ofthis specification.

[0472] Further, as to the channel selector valve according to the firstembodiment, the through holes 11 b and 11 c of the valve seat 11, towhich the pipe 7 connected to the indoor heat exchanger 9A and the pipe8 connected to the outdoor heat exchanger 9B are connected respectively,correspond to the two selector ports described in the claims of thisspecification.

[0473] In the following, an operation of the channel selector valveaccording to the first embodiment constructed as described above will beexplained.

[0474] When the operation of the compressor 4 is halted, as shown inFIG. 1, the piston cylinder 12 energized by the compression spring 13 isat the first position, the inlet pipe 6 communicates with the pipe 8through the closed space S1, while the outlet pipe 5 communicates withthe pipe 7 through the high pressure space S2.

[0475] When the compressor 4 starts to operate, a refrigerant dischargedfrom the compressor 4 flows into the high pressure space S2 through theoutlet pipe 5. At that time, if a force F1 (hereinafter, forward driveforce) applied to the piston cylinder 12 from the high pressure chamberR₁ due to the pressure of the refrigerant is equal to or less than theresultant force F2+Fs+Ff, the piston cylinder 12 does not move from thefirst position, wherein F2 (hereinafter, backward drive force) is theforce applied to the piston cylinder 12 from the pressure-transducingchamber R₂ due to the pressure of the refrigerant in thepressure-transducing chamber R₂, Fs is the energizing force by thecompression spring 13, and Ff is the static friction force between thesmooth surface 11 d of the valve seat 11 and the slide valve 27.

[0476] On the other hand, if the forward drive force F1 is greater thanthe resultant force F2+Fs+Ff, the piston cylinder 12 moves from thefirst position to the second position as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2,respectively.

[0477] If the piston cylinder 12 does not move from the first position,as shown in FIG. 1, the inlet pipe 6 keeps communicating with the pipe 8through the closed space S1, while the outlet pipe 5 keeps communicatingwith the pipe 7 through the high pressure space S2.

[0478] Then, since the pipe 7 communicating with the high pressure spaceS2 always communicates with the pressure-transducing chamber R₂ throughthe channel 14, the pressure of the refrigerant in the high pressurechamber R₁ becomes equal to that of the refrigerant inpressure-transducing chamber R₂.

[0479] Consequently, as long as the pressure of the refrigerantdischarged from the compressor 4 is restrained so that the forward driveforce F1 is equal to or less than the resultant force F2+Fs+Ff, thepiston cylinder 12 keeps staying at the first position, thereby theinlet pipe 6 keeps communicating with the pipe 8 through the closedspace S1, while the outlet pipe 5 keeps communicating with the pipe 7through the high pressure space S2.

[0480] To the contrary, when the piston cylinder 12 moves from the firstposition to the second position, as shown in FIG. 2, the outlet pipe 5communicates with the pipe 8 through the high pressure space S2, whilethe inlet pipe 6 communicates with the pipe 7 through the closed spaceS1.

[0481] Then, the pressure of the refrigerant in the high pressurechamber R₁, which becomes equal to that of the refrigerant at the outletof the compressor 4 since the pressure-transducing chamber R₂ alwayscommunicates with the inlet pipe 6 through the pipe 7 and the channel14, becomes greater than the pressure of the refrigerant in thepressure-transducing chamber R₂, which becomes equal to that of therefrigerant at the inlet of the compressor 4 since thepressure-transducing chamber R₂ communicates with the inlet of thecompressor 4, by a difference between an outlet pressure and an inletpressure of the refrigerant due to an operation of the compressor 4.

[0482] Consequently, as long as the pressure of the refrigerantdischarged from the compressor 4 is kept high so that the forward driveforce F1 is greater than a force F2+Fs−Ff, the piston cylinder 12 keepsstaying at the second position, thereby the outlet pipe 5 keepscommunicating with the pipe 8 through the high pressure space S2, whilethe inlet pipe 6 keeps communicating with the pipe 7 through the closedspace S1.

[0483] Therefore, if the refrigerant, the pressure of which is such thatthe forward drive force F1 is equal to or less than the resultant forceF2+Fs+Ff, flows into the high pressure space S2 through the outlet pipe5 upon start of operation of the compressor 4, the piston cylinder 12 issituated at the first position as shown in FIG. 1.

[0484] To the contrary, if the refrigerant, the pressure of which issuch that the forward drive force F1 is greater than the resultant forceF2+Fs+Ff, flows into the high pressure space S2 through the outlet pipe5 upon start of operation of the compressor 4, the piston cylinder 12 issituated at the second position as shown in FIG. 2.

[0485] Then afterward, the pressure of the refrigerant, which isdischarged from the compressor and flows into the high pressure space S2through the outlet pipe 5, is lowered by, for example, stopping theoperation of the compressor 4 so that the forward drive force F1 isequal to or less than the force F2+Fs−Ff, the piston cylinder 12 movesfrom the second position to the first position.

[0486] Therefore, when the refrigerating cycle A is operated in theheating mode, the number of revolution of the compressor 4 upon start ofits operation is restrained to keep the pressure of the refrigerantdischarged from the compressor 4 low so that the forward drive force F1is equal to or less than the resultant force F2+Fs+Ff, thereby thepiston cylinder 12 is kept staying at the first position even afterstart of the operation of the compressor 4.

[0487] On the other hand, when the refrigerating cycle A is operated inthe cooling mode, the number of revolution of the compressor 4 uponstart of its operation is raised to increase the pressure of therefrigerant discharged from the compressor 4 so that the forward driveforce F1 is greater than the resultant force F2+Fs+Ff, thereby thepiston cylinder 12 is moved from the first position to the secondposition upon start of the operation of the compressor 4.

[0488] Then, once the piston cylinder 12 is moved to the secondposition, as long as the the forward drive force F1 is greater than theforce F2+Fs−Ff, the piston cylinder 12 is kept staying at the secondposition even if the number of revolution of the compressor 4 islowered, thereby the refrigerating cycle A is kept being operated in thecooling mode.

[0489] Thus, according to the first embodiment, the piston cylinder 12that partitions the interior of the reversing valve housing 1 into thehigh pressure chamber R₁ and the pressure-transducing chamber R₂ ismoved between the first and second positions, and the slide valve 27joined to the piston cylinder 12 is slided on the smooth surface 11 d ofthe valve seat 11, thereby the closed space S1, formed by the cavity 27a of the slide valve 27 and the smooth surface 11 d, communicates thethrough hole 11 a corresponding to the inlet pipe 6 to either thethrough hole 11 b corresponding to the pipe 7 or the through hole 11 ccorresponding to the pipe 8. In order to achieve the above operation,the following constitution is employed as to the channel selector valve.

[0490] That is, the channel 14 always communicates the pipe 7 to thepressure-transducing chamber R₂ outside the reversing valve housing 1,and when the piston cylinder 12 is situated at the first position, thepressure of the refrigerant in the pressure-transducing chamber R₂ isset equal to that of the refrigerant in the high pressure space S2 ofthe high pressure chamber R₁ that communicates with thepressure-transducing chamber R₂ through the pipe 7 and the channel 14,thereby the piston cylinder 12 is kept at the first position.

[0491] To the contrary, when the piston cylinder 12 is situated at thesecond position, the pressure of the refrigerant in thepressure-transducing chamber R₂ is set equal to that of the refrigerantat the inlet pipe 6 that communicates with the pressure-transducingchamber R₂ through the pipe 7 and the channel 14, i.e. that of therefrigerant at the inlet of the compressor 4 so that the pressure of therefrigerant in the pressure-transducing chamber R₂ is lower than that ofthe refrigerant in the high pressure chamber R₁, the piston cylinder 12is kept at the second position due to a differnce between the pressureof the refrigerant in the high pressure chamber R₁ and that of therefrigerant in pressure-transducing chamber R₂.

[0492] Therefore, the heating mode, in which the refrigerant dischargedfrom the compressor 4 is supplied to the indoor heat exchanger 9A by wayof the pipe 7, and the cooling mode, in which the refrigerant dischargedfrom the compressor 4 is supplied to the outdoor heat exchanger 9B byway of the pipe 8, can be selected by changing the pressure of thedischarged refrigerant upon start of operation of the compressor 4 andthe selected state can be maintained without using any exclusive powersource such as an electromagnetic solenoid.

[0493] According to the first embodiment, the indoor heat exchanger 9Ais connected to the pipe 7 while the outdoor heat exchanger 9B isconnected to the pipe 8, and when the piston cylinder 12 is energized bythe compression spring 13 to be situated at the first position, theoutlet pipe 5 communicates with the indoor heat exchanger 9A through thehigh pressure space S2 and the pipe 7 while the inlet pipe 6communicates with the outdoor heat exchanger 9B through the closed spaceS1 and the pipe 8, therefore, the following advantage is obtained whenthe refrigerating cycle A is used mainly in the heating mode.

[0494] That is, upon start of operation of the refrigerating cycle A inthe cooling mode, the pressure of the refrigerant discharged from thecompressor 4 upon start of operation of the compressor 4 is set high sothat the forward drive force F1 becomes greater than the resultant forceF2+Fs+Ff, thereby the piston cylinder 12 is moved from the firstposition to the second position.

[0495] However, when the refrigerating cycle A is started to operate inthe heating mode, which is more frequently employed than the coolingmode, the piston cylinder 12 is situated at the first position, then theoperation of the refrigerating cycle A in the heating mode is started,thereafter the piston cylinder 12 is still kept being situated at thefirst position, thereby the refrigerating cycle A can be maintained inoperation in the heating mode without raising the pressure of thedischarged refrigerant upon start of operation of the compressor 4 up toas high as the pressure required upon start of operation of therefrigerating cycle A in the cooling mode. Therefore, the advantagedescribed above can be obtained.

[0496] In contrast with the first embodiment, FIG. 3 is a viewillustrating a schematic constitution of a refrigerating cycle employinga channel selector valve according to a second embodiment of the presentinvention. As to the second embodiment, the outdoor heat exchanger 9B isconnected to the pipe 7 while the indoor heat exchanger 9A is connectedto the pipe 8, and when the piston cylinder 12 is energized by thecompression spring 13 to be situated at the first position, the outletpipe 5 communicates with the outdoor heat exchanger 9B through the highpressure space S2 and the pipe 7 while the inlet pipe 6 communicateswith the indoor heat exchanger 9A through the closed space S1 and thepipe 8, therefore, the following advantage is obtained when therefrigerating cycle A is used mainly in the cooling mode.

[0497] That is, upon start of operation of the refrigerating cycle A inthe heating mode, the pressure of the refrigerant discharged from thecompressor 4 upon start of operation of the compressor 4 is set high sothat the forward drive force F1 becomes greater than the resultant forceF2+Fs+Ff, thereby the piston cylinder 12 is moved from the firstposition to the second position.

[0498] However, when the refrigerating cycle A is started to operate inthe cooling mode, which is more frequently employed than the heatingmode, the piston cylinder 12 is situated at the first position, then theoperation of the refrigerating cycle A in the cooling mode is started,thereafter the piston cylinder 12 is still kept being situated at thefirst position, thereby the refrigerating cycle A can be maintained inoperation in the cooling mode without raising the pressure of thedischarged refrigerant upon start of operation of the compressor 4 up toas high as the pressure required upon start of operation of therefrigerating cycle A in the heating mode. Therefore, the advantagedescribed above can be obtained.

[0499] As to the above channel selector valve according to the first andsecond embodiments, as shown in FIG. 4 (front view) and FIG. 5 (sideview), a delay chamber 14′, the inner diameter of which is larger thanthat of the channel 14, may be provided so that a period of time,required for the refrigerant pressure in the pressure-transducingchamber R₂ to be equal to the pressure in the high pressure space S2with which the pressure-transducing chamber R₂ communicates through thepipe 7 and the channel 14, is made longer by another period of timerequired for the delay chamber 14′ to be filled with the refrigerantwhen the pressure of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 4 israised so that the forward drive force F1 is higher than the resultantforce F2+Fs+Ff.

[0500] The delay chamber 14′ described above gives an advantage that thepiston cylinder 12 can easily move from the first position to the secondposition since a differential pressure between the refrigerant in thehigh pressure chamber R₁ and that in the pressure-transducing chamber R₂is easily occurred because the refrigerant pressure in thepressure-transducing chamber R₂ does not increase in a short period timeeven if the refrigerant pressure in the high pressure space S2 israised.

[0501] The structure of the delay chamber 14′ is not limited to thatshown in FIGS. 4 and 5, in which the delay chamber 14′ is attached tothe reversing valve housing 1 by a belt 1′.

[0502] In the following, a channel selector valve according to a thirdembodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference toFIGS. 6 and 7.

[0503]FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a schematic constitution of arefrigerating cycle employing a channel selector valve according to thethird embodiment of the present invention, in which the sameabbreviation numerals with those used for the corresponding identicalmembers or parts of the channel selector valve according to the firstembodiment shown in FIG. 1 are used.

[0504] The channel selector valve according to the third embodiment, astate in operation in the hearting mode of which is shown in FIG. 6 byits sectional view, is different from the channel selector valveaccording to the first embodiment in a point that the channel 14 alwayscommunicating the pressure-transducing chamber R₂ to the pipe 7 by wayof the outside of the reversing valve housing 1 is omitted.

[0505] Furthermore, the channel selector valve according to the thirdembodiment shown in FIG. 6 is different from the channel selector valveaccording to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 in a point that thepiston cylinder 12 is provided with a through hole 12 ₁ (correspondingto an equalizing path), the inner diameter of which is designed in sucha manner that a flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the throughhole 12 ₁ is much smaller than that of the refrigerant flowing throughthe pipe 7 or 8, thereby the high pressure chamber R₁ alwayscommunicates with the pressure-transducing chamber R₂ through thethrough hole 12 ₁ in the reversing valve housing 1.

[0506] The channel selector valve according to the third embodiment issimilar to that according to the first embodiment in points that: thehousing described in claims of the channel selector valve comprises thereversing valve housing 1 and the stoppers 2 and 3; a part of thereversing valve housing 1, to which the outlet pipe 5 communicating withthe outlet of the compressor 4 is connected, corresponds to the inletport described in claims; the through hole 11 a of the valve seat 11, towhich the inlet pipe 6 communicating with the inlet of the compressor 4is connected, corresponds to the outlet port described in claims; andthrough holes 11 b and 11 c of the valve seat 11, to which the pipes 7and 8 connecting with the indoor and outdoor heat exchangers 9A and 9B,respectively, are connected, correspond to the respective two selectorports described in claims.

[0507] In the following, an operation of the channel selector valveaccording to the third embodiment constructed as described above will beexplained.

[0508] As shown in FIG. 6, when the operation of the compressor 4 ishalted, the piston cylinder 12 is at the first position due to theenergizing force Fs of the compression spring 13, thereby the inlet pipe6 communicates with the pipe 8 through the closed space S1 and theoutlet pipe 5 communicates with the pipe 7 through the high pressurespace S2.

[0509] When the compressor 4 starts to operate, if the forward driveforce F1 is equal to or less than the resultant force F2+Fs+Ff, thepiston cylinder 12 does not move and stays at the first position,therefore the inlet pipe 6 keeps communicating with the pipe 8 throughthe closed space S1 and the outlet pipe 5 keeps communicating with thepipe 7 through the high pressure space S2.

[0510] In this situation, the pressure of the refrigerant in the highpressure chamber R₁ increases due to the refrigerant flowed into thehigh pressure space S2 from the compressor 4 through the outlet pipe 5and exceeds the pressure of the refrigerant in the pressure-transducingchamber R₂, while the refrigerant gradually flows into thepressure-transducing chamber R₂ from the high pressure space S2 throughthe through hole 12 ₁ of the piston cylinder 12, as a result when thetime passes, the pressure of the refrigerant in the high pressure spaceS2 becomes equal to that of the refrigerant in the pressure-transducingchamber R₂.

[0511] Therefore, as long as the pressure of the refrigerant dischargedfrom the compressor 4 is restrained so that the forward drive force F1is equal to or less than the resultant force F2+Fs+Ff, the pistoncyliner 12 keeps staying at the first position, as a result, the outletpipe 5 keeps communicating with the pipe 7 through the high pressurespace S2 and the inlet pipe 6 keeps communicating with the pipe 8through the closed space S1.

[0512] To the contrary, when the forward drive force F1 exceeds theresultant force F2+Fs+Ff, the piston cylinder 12 moves from the firstposition, as shown in FIG. 7 illustrating a schematic constitution of arefrigerating cycle in which a sectional view of the channel selectorvalve in a cooling mode is shown, the piston cylinder 12 abuts on thestopper 3, thereby the piston cylinder 12 is situated at the secondposition by being restricted its further movement toward the stopper 3,that is, the outlet pipe 5 communicates with the pipe 8 through the highpressure space S2 and the inlet pipe 6 communicates with the pipe 7through the closed space S1.

[0513] Thereafter, if the compressor 4 is kept in operation with keepinga difference between the high and low pressures so that the staticfriction force Ff exceeds the energizing force Fs due to the compressionspring 13, the piston cylinder 12 keeps staying at the second position.

[0514] Similarly to the function of the channel selector valve accordingto the first embodiment, by employing the channel selector valveaccording to the third embodiment, the heating mode, in which therefrigerant discharged from the compressor 4 is supplied to the indoorheat exchanger 9A by way of the pipe 7, and the cooling mode, in whichthe refrigerant discharged from the compressor 4 is supplied to theoutdoor heat exchanger 9B by way of the pipe 8, can be selected bychanging the pressure of the discharged refrigerant upon start ofoperation of the compressor 4 and the selected state can be maintainedwithout using any exclusive power source such as an electromagneticsolenoid.

[0515] According to the third embodiment, the indoor heat exchanger 9Ais connected to the pipe 7 while the outdoor heat exchanger 9B isconnected to the pipe 8, and when the piston cylinder 12 is energized bythe compression spring 13 to be situated at the first position, theoutlet pipe 5 communicates with the indoor heat exchanger 9A through thehigh pressure space S2 and the pipe 7 while the inlet pipe 6communicates with the outdoor heat exchanger 9B through the closed spaceS1 and the pipe 8, therefore, the advantage that is the same with thatof the channel selector valve according to the first embodiment isobtained when the refrigerating cycle A is used mainly in the heatingmode.

[0516] In contrast with the third embodiment, FIG. 8 is a viewillustrating a schematic constitution of a refrigerating cycle employinga channel selector valve according to a fourth embodiment of the presentinvention. As to the fourth embodiment, the outdoor heat exchanger 9B isconnected to the pipe 7 while the indoor heat exchanger 9A is connectedto the pipe 8, and when the piston cylinder 12 is energized by thecompression spring 13 to be situated at the first position, the outletpipe 5 communicates with the outdoor heat exchanger 9B through the highpressure space S2 and the pipe 7 while the inlet pipe 6 communicateswith the indoor heat exchanger 9A through the closed space S1 and thepipe 8, therefore, the advantage that is the same with that of thechannel selector valve according to the second embodiment is obtainedwhen the refrigerating cycle A is used mainly in the cooling mode.

[0517] As to each channel selector valve according to the first tofourth embodiments, when the compressor 4 is in operation, a pressure ofthe refrigerant discharged from the compressor 4 flowing into the highpressure space S2 through the outlet pipe 5 is higher than anotherpressure of the refrigerant in the closed space S1 communicating withthe inlet of the compressor 4 through the inlet pipe 6 whether thepiston cylinder 12 is at the first position or the second position,therefore, the slide valve 27 is pressed onto the valve seat 11 by aforce corresponding to a difference between these two pressures of therefrigerant.

[0518] Consequently, when the compressor 4 is in operation, a staticfriction force between the slide valve 27 and the smooth surface 11 d ofthe valve seat 11 increases by a quantity corresponding to the differncein pressure between the refrigerant in the high pressure space S2 andthat in the closed space S1, which is a basis for a force to press theslide valve 27 onto the valve seat 11.

[0519] Therefore, when the piston cylinder 12 is moved between the firstand second positions in order to switch the operation mode of therefrigerating cycle A between the heating mode and the cooling mode,preferably, the static friction force between the slide valve 27 and thesmooth surface 11 d of the valve seat 11 is reduced or removed byreducing or removing the differnce in pressure between the refrigerantin the high pressure space S2 and that in the closed space S1 through,for example, a tentative stop of the operation of the compressor 4.

[0520] In the above third or fourth embodiment, the equalizing path isconstituted by the through hole 12 ₁ of the piston cylinder 12. However,the equalizing path provided for the movable member is not limited tothe through hole described above and may be a path formed between theother member or may be constituted in combination with a path and athrough hole.

[0521] In the following, a channel selector valve according to a fifthembodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference toFIGS. 9 to 14.

[0522]FIG. 9 is a view illustrating a schematic constitution of arefrigerating cycle employing a channel selector valve according to thefifth embodiment of the present invention, in which the sameabbreviation numerals with those used for the corresponding identicalmembers or parts of the channel selector valve according to the firstembodiment shown in FIG. 1 are used.

[0523] The channel selector valve according to the fifth embodiment, astate in operation in the hearting mode of which is shown in FIG. 9 byits sectional view, constitutes the refrigerating cycle A together withthe compressor 4, the indoor heat exchanger 9A, the outdoor heatexchanger 9B and the capillary tube 10B that is provided between theindoor heat exchanger 9A and the outdoor heat exchanger 9B.

[0524] The channel selector valve according to the fifth embodiment isdifferent from the channel selector valve according to the firstembodiment shown in FIG. 1 in a point that the reversing valve housing 1is provided with a latch mechanism 32 (corresponding to the latchmechanism described in claims 25 to 28) at one end thereof, whichincludes a seal housing 32 a that seals one end of the reversing valvehousing 1 instead of the stopper 3.

[0525] As to the channel selector valve according to the fifthembodiment, the piston cylinder 12 can move between a first position anda second position: at said first position, the piston cylinder 12 isprevented from moving further toward the stopper 2 because an end of theconnecting shaft 28 abuts on the stopper 2 as shown in FIG. 9; and atsaid second position, the piston cylinder 12 is prevented from movingfurther toward the seal housing 32 a because the piston cylinder 12abuts on the seal housing 32 a as shown in FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is a viewillustrating a schematic constitution of a refrigerating cycle, in whicha sectional view of the channel selector valve of FIG. 9 in a coolingmode is shown.

[0526] The latch mechanism 32 comprises the seal housing 32 a, a guidecylinder 32 c received in the seal housing 32 a, a part of whichprotrudes toward the inside of the pressure-transducing chamber R₂ ofthe reversing valve housing 1, a latch piece 32 k, and a coil spring 32p.

[0527] The seal housing 32 a has a hollow cylindrical shape with one endopen and the opposite end closed, as shown in FIG. 11 (an enlargedsectional view of a primary part of a latch mechanism of FIG. 9), at aperiphery near the closed end of the seal housing 32 a, there isprovided a port 32 b for commucicating the interior of the seal housing32 a with the exterior thereof, to which a channel 14B connected to theinlet pipe 6 is connected.

[0528] The guide cylinder 32 c consists of two layers, i.e. an outercylinder 32 d and an inner cylinder 32 e in which a cam groove 32 f forthe latch action is formed.

[0529]FIG. 12 is an enlarged development of a primary part of an innercylinder 32 e. As shown in FIG. 12, the cam groove 32 f is formed in ashape of a deformed saw blade, in which shallow grooves 32 g and deepgrooves 32 h are arranged in a circumferential direction of the innercylinder 32 e at intervals of 90° and a connection groove 32 j connectsthe shallow groove 32 g with the adjoining deep groove 32 h.

[0530] The latch piece 32 k has a flat cylindrical shape and itsdiameter is formed so that the latch piece 32 k is movable in an axialdirection within the inner cylinder 32 e of the guide cylinder 32 c. Ateach circumferential position located in a circumferential direction ofthe latch piece 32 k at intervals of 90°, a respective cam follower pin32 m that can be inserted into the cam groove 32 f of the inner cylinder32 e is formed. Inside the latch piece 32 k, a through hole 32 n isformed throughout both ends thereof.

[0531] The coil spring 32 p is provided between the latch piece 32 k andthe closed opposite end of the seal housing 32 a, by an elastic force ofwhich the latch piece 32 k is energized toward the open end of the sealhousing 32 a.

[0532] As to the latch mechanism 32, the cam follower pin 32 m of thelatch piece 32 k energized by the elastic force of the coil spring 32 pis guided by a first inclined plane 32 j ₁ of the connection groove 32 jof the cam groove 32 f so as to abut on a stopper plane 32 j ₂ so thatthe latch piece 32 k is situated at a deregulation position of the innercylinder 32 e, that is, in the vicinity of the end of the inner cylinder32 e at the high pressure chamber R₁ side.

[0533] When the cam follower pin 32 m of the latch piece 32 k situatedat the deregulation position abuts on the stopper plane 32 j ₂ by way ofthe first inclined plane 32 j ₁ of the connection groove 32 j facing thedeep groove 32 h, that is, when the cam follower pin 32 m is situated ata position “a” in a locus of the cam follower pin 32 m shown with animaginary lines (i.e. alternate long and short dash lines or alternatelong and two short dashes lines) in FIG. 12, the latch piece 32 k ismoved toward the closed end of the seal housing 32 a against the elasticforce by the coil spring 32 p, thereby the latch mechanism 32 performsthe following action.

[0534] That is, the cam follower pin 32 m is guided by the stopper plane32 j ₂ so as to move from the position “a” to a position “b”, thenguided by a second inclined plane 32 j ₃ of the connection groove 32 jfacing the stopper plane 32 j ₂ so as to move from the position “b” to aposition “c”, thereby the cam follower pin 32 m abuts on a stopper plane32 g ₁ of the shallow groove 32 g.

[0535] Then, in this state, as long as a force to move the latch piece32 k toward the closed end of the seal housing 32 a affects the latchpiece 32 k, as shown in FIG. 12, the movement of the latch piece 32 k isrestrained at a first regulation position where is a first stroke L1 offfrom the deregulation position, shown with an imaginary line (i.e.alternate long and two short dashes line) in FIG. 13, toward the closedend of the seal housing 32 a.

[0536] When the cam follower pin 32 m of the latch piece 32 k situatedat the deregulation position abuts on the stopper plane 32 j ₂ by way ofthe first inclined plane 32 j ₁ of the connection groove 32 j facing theshallow groove 32 g, that is, when the cam follower pin 32 m is situatedat a position “e” in a locus of the cam follower pin 32 m shown with animaginary lines (i.e. alternate long and short dash lines or alternatelong and two short dashes lines) in FIG. 12, the latch piece 32 k ismoved toward the closed end of the seal housing 32 a against the elasticforce by the coil spring 32 p, thereby the latch mechanism 32 performsthe following action.

[0537] That is, the cam follower pin 32 m is guided by the stopper plane32 j ₂ so as to move from the position “e” to a position “f”, thenguided by the second inclined plane 32 j ₃ of the connection groove 32 jfacing the stopper plane 32 j ₂ so as to move from the position “f” to aposition “g”, thereby the cam follower pin 32 m reaches an end of thedeep groove 32 h.

[0538] Then, as long as a force to move the latch piece 32 k toward theclosed end of the seal housing 32 a affects the latch piece 32 k, asshown in FIG. 14, the movement of the latch piece 32 k is restrained ata second regulation position where is a second stroke L2 off from thederegulation position, shown with an imaginary line (i.e. alternate longand two short dashes line) in FIG. 14, toward the closed end of the sealhousing 32 a.

[0539] Here, the second stroke L2 is set a little longer than a distancebetween the first position and the second position of the pistoncylinder 12, while the first stroke L1 is set much shorter than saiddistance.

[0540] In the state that the movement of the latch piece 32 k isrestrained at the first regulation position, when a force to move thelatch piece 32 k toward the closed end of the seal housing 32 a does notaffect, the cam follower pin 32 m of the latch piece 32 k energized bythe elastic force of the coil spring 32 p is guided by the firstinclined plane 32 j ₁ of the connection groove 32 j of the cam groove 32f so as to move from a position “d” to a position “e” in FIG. 12 andabuts on the stopper plane 32 j ₂, thereby the latch piece 32 k comesback to the deregulation position shown in FIG. 11.

[0541] Similarly, in the state that the movement of the latch piece 32 kis restrained at the second regulation position, when a force to movethe latch piece 32 k toward the closed end of the seal housing 32 a doesnot affect, the cam follower pin 32 m of the latch piece 32 k energizedby the elastic force of the coil spring 32 p is guided by the firstinclined plane 32 j ₁ of the connection groove 32 j of the cam groove 32f so as to move from a position “h” to a position “i” in FIG. 12 andabuts on the stopper plane 32 j ₂, thereby the latch piece 32 k comesback to the deregulation position shown in FIG. 11.

[0542] Furthermore, the latch mechanism 32 is constituted so that thepressure-transducing chamber R₂ communicates with the channel 14Bthrough the port 32 b, the interior of the seal housing 32 a and thethrough hole 32 n of the latch piece 32 k no matter where the latchpiece 32 k is situated at the deregulation position, the firstregulation position or the second regulation position.

[0543] In the channel selector valve according to the fifth embodiment,as shown in FIG. 11 and so on, a pin 12 e is provided on an end of thepiston cylinder 12 at the pressure-transducing chamber R₂ side, which isformed so that an end of the pin 12 e is a little spaced from an end ofthe latch piece 32 k situated at the deregulation position thereof asshown in FIG. 11.

[0544] As to the channel selector valve according to the fifthembodiment, the reversing valve housing 1, the stopper 2 and the sealhousing 32 a of the latch mechanism 32 constitute the housing describedin claims of the present invention, a part of the reversing valvehousing 1, to which the outlet pipe 5 connected to the outlet of thecompressor 4 is connected, corresponds to the inlet port described inclaims, and the through hole 11 a of the valve seat 11, to which theinlet pipe 6 connected to the inlet of the compressor 4 is connected,corresponds to the outlet port described in claims.

[0545] Furthermore, as to the channel selector valve according to thefifth embodiment, through holes 11 b and 11 c of the valve seat 11, towhich the pipes 7 and 8 connecting with the indoor and outdoor heatexchangers 9A and 9B, respectively, are connected, correspond to therespective two selector ports described in claims.

[0546] In the following, an operation of the channel selector valveaccording to the fifth embodiment constructed as described above will beexplained.

[0547] When the operation of the compressor 4 is halted, as shown inFIG. 9, the piston cylinder 12 energized by the compression spring 13 isat the first position, the inlet pipe 6 communicates with the pipe 8through the closed space S1, while the outlet pipe 5 communicates withthe pipe 7 through the high pressure space S2.

[0548] In this state, although the pin 12 e of the piston cylinder 12abuts on the latch piece 32 k, the latch piece 32 k is energized by thecoil spring 32 p to be situated at the deregulation position shown inFIG. 11.

[0549] When the compressor 4 starts to operate, the refrigerantdischarged from the compressor 4 flows into the high pressure space S2through the outlet pipe 5, while the refrigerant pressure in thepressure-transducing chamber R₂, which communicates with the channel 14Bthrough the port 32 b of the latch mechanism 32, the interior of theseal housing 32 a and the through hole 32 n of the latch piece 32 k,becomes equal to the refrigerant pressure in the inlet pipe 6 connectedto the channel 14B.

[0550] Therefore, the pressure of the refrigerant flowed into the highpressure space S2 exceeds the refrigerant pressure in the thepressure-transducing chamber R₂ by a difference between the dischargepressure and the suction pressure of the refrigerant due to thecompressor 4, thereby the forward drive force F1 exceeds the resultantforce F2+Fs+Ff.

[0551] Consequently, the piston cylinder 12 tends to move from the firstposition to the second position in the reversing valve housing 1, thenthe pin 12 e of the piston cylinder 12 pushes the latch piece 32 k andthen, the latch piece 32 k tends to move toward the closed end of theseal housing 32 a against the energizing force by the coil spring 32 p.

[0552] Here, when the cam follower pin 32 m guided by the first inclinedplane 32 j ₁ of the connection groove 32 j moves from the position “d”to the position “e” in FIG. 12, that is, when the latch piece 32 k is atthe deregulation position after coming back from the first regulationposition, thereafter, the latch piece 32 k moves toward the closed endof the seal housing 32 a while the cam follower pin 32 m is guided bythe second inclined plane 32 j ₃ to reach the position “g”, i.e. the endof the deep groove 32 h, by way of the position “e” and the position “f”in FIG. 12, thereby the latch piece 32 k reaches the second regulationposition as shown in FIG. 14.

[0553] Therefore, a move stroke of the latch piece 32 k toward theclosed end of the seal housing 32 a becomes equal to the second strokeL2, as a result, the piston cylinder 12 reaches the second positionafter leaving the first position as shown in FIG. 10.

[0554] On the other hand, when the cam follower pin 32 m guided by thefirst inclined plane 32 j ₁ of the connection groove 32 j moves from theposition “h” to the position “i” in FIG. 12, that is, when the latchpiece 32 k is at the deregulation position after coming back from thesecond regulation position, thereafter, the latch piece 32 k movestoward the closed end of the seal housing 32 a while the cam followerpin 32 m is guided by the second inclined plane 32 j ₃ to move from theposition “b” in FIG. 12 to the position “c” where the cam follower pin32 m abuts on the stopper plane 32 g ₁ of the shallow groove 32 g,thereby the movement of the latch piece 32 k is restrained at the firstregulation position as shown in FIG. 13.

[0555] Therefore, a move stroke of the latch piece 32 k toward theclosed end of the seal housing 32 a becomes equal to the first strokeL1, as a result, even if the piston cylinder 12 tends to move from thefirst position thereof, the movement of the piston cylinder 12 isrestrained by the latch piece 32 k, the movement of which is restrainedat the first regulation position, thereby the piston cylinder 12 hardlymoves and keeps staying at the first position as shown in FIG. 9.

[0556] That is, the latch piece 32 k, restrained its movement toward theclosed end of the seal housing 32 a at the first regulation position,substantially keeps the piston cylinder 12 that pushes the latch piece32 k by the pin 12 e from moving toward the second position, i.e. keepsthe piston cylinder 12 staying at the first position, therefore, theoutlet pipe 5 keeps communicating with the pipe 7 through the highpressure space S2 while the inlet pipe 6 keeps communicating with thepipe 8 through the closed space S1.

[0557] To the contrary, when the piston cylinder 12 reaches the secondposition after pushing the latch piece 32 k up to the second regulationposition by the pin 12 e, as shown in FIG. 10, the outlet pipe 5communicates with the pipe 8 through the high pressure space S2 whilethe inlet pipe 6 communicates with the pipe 7 through the closed spaceS1.

[0558] When the compressor 4 starts to operate, the piston cylinder 12that tends to move from the first position to the second position pushesthe latch piece 32 k, which comes back to the deregulation position fromthe second regulation position, by a pin 12 e toward the closed end ofthe seal housing 32 a, as shown in FIG. 13, the movement of the latchpiece 32 k is restrained at the frist regulation position by the latchmechanism 32, therefore, the piston cylinder 12 hardly moves toward thesecond position and keeps staying at the first position as shown in FIG.9.

[0559] Thereafter, the pressure of the refrigerant, which is dischargedfrom the compressor 4 and flows into the high pressure space S2 throughthe outlet pipe 5, is reduced by stopping the operation of thecompressor 4 or the like so that the forward drive force F1 is equal toor less than the force F2+Fs−Ff, the latch piece 32 k situated at thefirst regulation position moves toward the high pressure chamber R₁ byan energizing force due to the coil spring 32 p and comes back to thederegulation position as shown in FIG. 11.

[0560] On the other hand, when the compressor 4 starts to operate, thepiston cylinder 12 that tends to move from the first position to thesecond position pushes the latch piece 32 k, which is at thederegulation position after coming back from the first regulationposition, by a pin 12 e toward the closed end of the seal housing 32 a,as shown in FIG. 14, the latch piece 32 k reaches the second regulationposition, therefore, the piston cylinder 12 reaches the second positionas shown in FIG. 10.

[0561] Thereafter, the pressure of the refrigerant, which is dischargedfrom the compressor 4 and flows into the high pressure space S2 throughthe outlet pipe 5, is reduced by stopping the operation of thecompressor 4 or the like so that the forward drive force F1 is equal toor less than the force F2+Fs−Ff, the latch piece 32 k situated at thesecond regulation position moves toward the high pressure chamber R₁ byan energizing force due to the coil spring 32 p and comes back to thederegulation position as shown in FIG. 11.

[0562] Therefore, when the refrigerating cycle A is operated in theheating mode, the latch piece 32 k can be set at the deregulationposition after coming back from the second regulation position, then thecompressor 4 is started to operate, thereby the piston cylinder 12 canbe kept at the first position during the operation of the compressor 4.

[0563] On the other hand, when the refrigerating cycle A is operated inthe cooling mode, the latch piece 32 k can be set at the deregulationposition after coming back from the first regulation position, then thecompressor 4 is started to operate, thereby the piston cylinder 12 canbe moved from the first position to the second position immediatelyafter the operation of the compressor 4.

[0564] Once the piston cylinder 12 finishes to move to the secondposition, as long as the forward drive force F1 exceeds the forceF2+Fs−Ff, the piston cylinder 12 is kept staying at the second positioneven if the number of revolution of the compressor 4 is reduced, therebythe refrigerating cycle A is kept operating in the cooling mode.

[0565] Thus, in the fifth embodiment, the pressure-transducing chamberR₂ of the reversing valve housing 1 always communicates with the inletpipe 6, and the move stroke of the latch piece 32 k, which is pushed bya pin 12 e of the piston cylinder 12 that moves from the first positionto the second position, is set to be either the second stroke L2corresponding to the second regulation position, which allows the pistoncylinder 12 to reach the second position, or the first stroke L1corresponding to the first regulation position, which does not allow thepiston cylinder 12 to reach the second position, with being alternatelycontrolled by the latch mechanism 32.

[0566] The latch piece 32 k can be set at the deregulation positionafter coming back from the second regulation position, then thecompressor 4 is started to operate, thereby the piston cylinder 12 canbe kept at the first position. Further, the latch piece 32 k can be setat the deregulation position after coming back from the first regulationposition, then the compressor 4 is started to operate, thereby thepiston cylinder 12 can be moved from the first position to the secondposition, and thereafter, the piston cylinder 12 can be kept at thesecond position as long as the operation of the compressor 4 is nothalted.

[0567] Therefore, the heating mode, in which the refrigerant dischargedfrom the outlet pipe 5 is supplied to the indoor heat exchanger 9A byway of the pipe 7, and the cooling mode, in which the refrigerantdischarged from the outlet pipe 5 is supplied to the outdoor heatexchanger 9B by way of the pipe 8, can be selected by controlling thenumber of times of the operation start of the compressor 4 and theselected state can be maintained without using any exclusive powersource such as an electromagnetic solenoid.

[0568] In contrast with the fifth embodiment, FIG. 15 is a viewillustrating a schematic constitution of a refrigerating cycle employinga channel selector valve according to a sixth embodiment of the presentinvention. As to the sixth embodiment, the outdoor heat exchanger 9B isconnected to the pipe 7 while the indoor heat exchanger 9A is connectedto the pipe 8, and when the piston cylinder 12 is restrained by thelatch mechanism 32 and situated at the first position, the outlet pipe 5communicates with the outdoor heat exchanger 9B through the highpressure chamber R₁ and the pipe 7 while the inlet pipe 6 communicateswith the indoor heat exchanger 9A through the closed space S1 and thepipe 8.

[0569] The latch mechanism 32 is not limited to such a mechanism thatthe latch piece 32 k alternately moves between the second and firstregulation positions by way of the deregulation position as describedabove, instead, a mechanism in which the second and first regulationpositions are randomly selected by using a torque driver may beemployed.

[0570]FIG. 16 is a view illustrating a schematic constitution of a latchmechanism usable instead of the latch mechanism described above. FIG. 17is a development of a cam groove, along which a cam follower pin of FIG.16 moves. As shown in FIG. 16, an end 12 a of the pin 12 e of the pistoncylinder 12 is inserted into a bearing 32 r of the latch piece 32 k soas to rotatively connect the latch piece 32 k with the pin 12 e, and asshown in FIG. 17, the cam groove 32 f, along which the cam follower pin32 m of the latch piece 32 k moves, is formed as a limited path inclinedwith respect to an axial direction of the inner cylinder 32 e, therebyforming the shallow groove 32 g in the middle of the limited path andthe deep groove 32 h at an end of the limited path.

[0571] With the construction mentioned above, the pressure of therefrigerant, which is discharged from the compressor 4 and flows intothe high pressure space S2 through the outlet pipe 5, is raised so as toincrease a moving rate of the piston cylinder 12 from the first positionto the second position, then the latch piece 32 k has a large rotationmoment and then, the cam follower pin 32 m reaches the deep groove 32 hat the end of the cam groove 32 f after passing through the shallowgroove 32 g, thereby the piston cylinder 12 is situated at the secondposition.

[0572] On the contrary, the pressure of the refrigerant, which isdischarged from the compressor 4 and flows into the high pressure spaceS2 through the outlet pipe 5, is reduced so as to decrease a moving rateof the piston cylinder 12 from the first position to the secondposition, then the latch piece 32 k has only a small rotation moment andthen, the cam follower pin 32 m cannot pass through the shallow groove32 g and stays at the shallow groove 32 g, thereby the piston cylinder12 stays at the first position since its movement toward the secondposition is restrained.

[0573] Then, whether the cam follower pin 32 m is situated at either theshallow groove 32 g or the deep groove 32 h, when the operation of thecompressor 4 is halted, the latch piece 32 k comes back to its originalposition (i.e. a light end of its locus in FIG. 17) due to an energizingforce by the coil spring 32 p, thereafter, when the compressor 4 isstarted to operate, the cam follower pin 32 m can move to either theshallow groove 32 g or the deep groove 32 h depending upon the pressureof the discharged refrigerant.

[0574] With the construction mentioned above, the piston cylinder 12 canbe situated at the desired position out of the first and secondpositions only by increasing or decreasing the pressure of therefrigerant discharged from the compressor 4, furthermore, when the camfollower pin 32 m is moved from the shallow groove 32 g to the deepgroove 32 h or from the deep groove 32 h to the shallow groove 32 g, theoperation of the compressor 4 is neither needed to be started nor neededto be halted in order to rotate the latch piece 32 k for resetting thepresent position, resulting in an advantage for the operation.

[0575] In the following, a channel selector valve according to a seventhembodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference toFIGS. 18 to 22.

[0576]FIG. 18 is a view illustrating a schematic constitution of arefrigerating cycle employing a channel selector valve according to theseventh embodiment of the present invention, in which the sameabbreviation numerals with those used for the corresponding identicalmembers or parts of the refrigerating cycle according to the fifthembodiment shown in FIG. 9 are used.

[0577] The channel selector valve according to the seventh embodiment, astate in operation in the hearting mode of which is shown in FIG. 18 byits sectional view, is different from the channel selector valveaccording to the fifth embodiment shown in FIG. 9 in a point thatinstead of the latch mechanism 32, there is provided a pilot valvemechanism 33 having another latch mechanism 34 (corresponding to thesecond latch mechanism described in claims 29 and 30), a constitution ofwhich is similar to the latch mechanism 32, and the stopper 3 instead ofthe seal housing 32 a of the latch mechanism 32 seals one end of thereversing valve housing 1.

[0578]FIG. 19 is an enlarged sectional view of a primary part of thepilot valve mechanism of FIG. 18. As shown in FIG. 19, the pilot valvemechanism 33 comprises: a diaphragm 33 a for partitioning the interiorof the pressure-transducing chamber R₂ into a main chamber R₃ near thehigh pressure chamber R₁ for allowing the piston cylinder 12 to movebetween the first and second positions and a sub chamber R₄ near thestopper 3; a valve block 33 b integrally formed with the diaphragm 33 a;a pilot valve element 33 e (corresponding to the pilot valve describedin claim 29) received into the valve block 33 b; a bellows 33 g disposedin the sub chamber R₄; and a pin 33 h for retracting (i.e. for openingor closing) the pilot valve element 33 e.

[0579] In the interior of the valve block 33 b, there are provided apilot path 33 c with its one end open to the sub chamber R₄ and an openpath 33 d being open to the main chamber R₃ extending from the oppositeend of the pilot path 33 c to a circumferential surface of the valveblock 33 b, while the pilot valve element 33 e is disposed at a crossingbetween the pilot path 33 c and the open path 33 d and energized by thecoil spring 33 f from the opposite end of the pilot path 33 c toward theone end thereof so as to close the pilot path 33 c.

[0580] The bellows 33 g is fixed on an inner face of the stopper 3 atone end thereof and expands or contracts so as to allow an opposite endthereof to move nearer to or away from the diaphragm 33 a or the valveblock 33 b. The bellows 33 g partitions the interior space of the subchamber R₄ into a first space R₄₁, (i.e. a space inside of the bellows33 g) and a second space R₄₂ (i.e. a space outside of the bellows 33 g).

[0581] The first space R₄₁ always communicates with the outlet pipe 5through a channel 14D connected from the outside of the reversing valvehousing 1 by way of the stopper 3 and one end of the bellows 33 g, whilethe second space R₄₂ always communicates with the inlet pipe 6 through achannel 14B connected from the outside of the reversing valve housing 1by way of the stopper 3.

[0582] The pin 33 h arises from a plate 33 j fixed at the opposite endof the bellows 33 g and inserted into the pilot path 33 c from an endthereof.

[0583] Although the latch mechanism 34 is not shown in detail in FIGS.18 and 19, it comprises elements corresponding to the guide cylinder 32c, the latch piece 32 k and the coil spring 32 p of the latch mechanism32 of the channel selector valve according to the fifth and sixthembodiments. In detail, an element corresponding to the guide cylinder32 c of the latch mechanism 32 is formed near one end of the valve block33 b, while an element corresponding to the coil spring 32 p of thelatch mechanism 32 is not shown in FIGS. 18 and 19.

[0584] The latch piece 34 a of the latch mechanism 34 of the seventhembodiment, which corresponds to the latch piece 32 k of the latchmechanism 32, is formed slidable with respect to the one end of thevalve block 33 b, wherein a deregulation position of the latch piece 34a is a position where the latch piece 34 a protrudes from the one end ofthe valve block 33 b toward the the sub chamber R₄ as shown in FIG. 19,while a second regulation position of the latch piece 34 a is a positionwhere the latch piece 34 a is moved from the deregulation position,shown in FIG. 20 with imaginary lines (alternate long and two shortdashes lines), toward the one end of the valve block 33 b by a secondstroke L2, that is, where an end face of the latch piece 34 a is thesame plane with that of the one end of the valve block 33 b, as shown inFIG. 20.

[0585] As shown in FIG. 21, a first regulation position of the latchpiece 34 a is a positon where the latch piece 34 a is moved from thederegulation position, shown in FIG. 21 with imaginary lines (alternatelong and two short dashes lines), toward the one end of the valve block33 b by a first stroke L1, which is shorter than the second stroke L2,that is, where an end face of the latch piece 34 a is a little shiftedfrom the deregulation position toward the one end of the valve block 33b.

[0586] In the pilot valve mechanism 33 with the latch mechanism 34constructed as describe above, when the bellows 33 g is compressed, theend face of the latch piece 34 a situated at the deregulation positionabuts on the plate 33 j and the pin 33 h is apart from the pilot valveelement 33 e, thereby the pilot path 33 c is closed by the pilot valveelement 33 e.

[0587] In the pilot valve mechanism 33, when the bellows 33 g expandsand the plate 33 j pushes the latch piece 34 a situated at thederegulation position and also when the latch piece 34 a has come backto the deregulation position from the second regulation position, thelatch piece 34 a pushed by the plate 33 j is kept from moving further atthe first regulation position where the latch piece 34 a has moved fromthe deregulation position toward the one end of the valve block 33 b bythe first stroke, that is, the pin 33 h of the plate 33 j, the move ofwhich is restrained by the latch piece 34 a situated at the firstregulation position, is kept being apart from the pilot valve element 33e, thereby the pilot path 33 c is kept closed by the pilot valve element33 e.

[0588] Further, in the pilot valve mechanism 33, when the bellows 33 gexpands and the plate 33 j pushes the latch piece 34 a situated at thederegulation position and also when the latch piece 34 a has come backto the deregulation position from the first regulation position, thelatch piece 34 a pushed by the plate 33 j reaches the second regulationposition where the latch piece 34 a is moved from the deregulationposition toward the one end of the valve block 33 b by the second strokeL2, then the pin 33 h of the plate 33 j comes in contact with the pilotvalve element 33 e, allowing the pilot valve element 33 e to be apartfrom the opposite end of the pilot path 33 c by overcoming an energizingforce due to the coil spring 33 f, thereby the pilot path 33 c is openedby the pilot valve element 33 e.

[0589] As shown in FIG. 19, in the channel selector valve according tothe seventh embodiment, the diaphragm 33 a of the pilot valve mechanism33 receives an end of a compression spring 13 instead of the sealhousing 32 a of the fifth or sixth embodiment.

[0590] In the channel selector valve according to the seventhembodiment, the pilot path described in claim 29 consists of the pilotpath 33 c and the open path 33 d, while the valve opener described inclaim 29 consists of the pin 33 h and the plate 33 j.

[0591] Further, the channel selector valve according to the seventhembodiment is constituted similarly to that according to the fifthembodiment shown in FIG. 9, except the points mentioned above, while thechannel selector valve according to the seventh embodiment is differentfrom that according to the fifth embodiment in a point that the housingdescribed in claims consists of the reversing valve housing 1 and thestoppers 2 and 3.

[0592] In addition, the channel selector valve according to the seventhembodiment is similar to that according to the fifth embodiment inpoints that: a part of the reversing valve housing 1, to which theoutlet pipe 5 communicating with the outlet of the compressor 4 isconnected, corresponds to the inlet port described in claims; thethrough hole 11 a of the valve seat 11, to which the inlet pipe 6communicating with the inlet of the compressor 4 is connected,corresponds to the outlet port described in claims; and through holes 11b and 11 c of the valve seat 11, to which the pipes 7 and 8 connectingwith the indoor and outdoor heat exchangers 9A and 9B, respectively, areconnected, correspond to the respective two selector ports described inclaims.

[0593] In the following, an operation of the channel selector valveaccording to the seventh embodiment constructed as described above willbe explained.

[0594] When the operation of the compressor 4 is halted, as shown inFIG. 18, the piston cylinder 12 energized by the compression spring 13is situated at the first position, the inlet pipe 6 communicates withthe pipe 8 through the closed space S1, and the outlet pipe 5communicates with the pipe 7 through the high pressure space S2.

[0595] In this situation, the pilot valve element 33 e energized by thecoil spring 33 f closes the pilot path 33 c, therefore, the main chamberR₃ of the pressure-transducing chamber R₂ does not communicate with thesub chamber R₄.

[0596] When the compressor 4 starts to operate, the refrigerantdischarged from the compressor 4 flows into the high pressure space S2through the outlet pipe 5, then a pressure of an inner space of thebellows 33 g communicating with the outlet pipe 5 through the channel14D, that is, an inner pressure of the first space R₄₁, becomes equal tothe pressure of the refrigerant in the outlet pipe 5, while an innerpressure of the second space R₄₂ becomes equal to the pressure of therefrigerant in the inlet pipe 6, with which the second space R₄₂communicates through the channel 14B.

[0597] Then, since the inner pressure of the first space R₄₁ exceedsthat of the second space R₄₂, the bellows 33 g expands, then the plate33 j moves toward the diaphragm 33 a in the sub chamber R₄ so as toreduce the second space R₄₂, thereby the plate 33 j moves the latchpiece 34 a, situated at the deregulation position and protruding towardthe inside of the sub chamber R₄ from the diaphragm 33 a, in aretreating direction from the inside of the sub chamber R₄ as shown inFIG. 19.

[0598] At this time, if the movement of the latch piece 34 a by theplate 33 j takes place after the latch pieced 34 a has come back fromthe first regulation position to the deregulation position, the movementof the latch piece 34 a in the retreating direction is restrained at thesecond regulation position by the latch mechanism 34, therefore, astroke of the latch piece 34 a in the retreating direction becomes equalto the second stroke L2.

[0599] As a result, as shown in FIG. 20, the pin 33 h, connected to theplate 33 j and inserted into the pilot path 33 c, comes in contact withthe pilot valve element 33 e, then the the pilot valve element 33 e ismoved being apart from the opposite end of the pilot path 33 c byovercoming an energizing force due to the coil spring 33 f, thereby thepilot path 33 c opens.

[0600] As a result, the main chamber R₃ communicates with the secondspace R₄₂ of the sub chamber R₄ through the pilot path 33 c and the openpath 33 d, then the main chamber R₃ communicates with the inlet pipe 6,which always communicates with the second space R₄₂, thereby an innerpressure of the main chamber R₃ becomes equal to the pressure of therefrigerant in the inlet pipe 6, which is much lower than the pressureof the refrigerant flowed into the high pressure space S2.

[0601] Therefore, the pressure of the refrigerant in the main chamber R₃of the pressure-transducing chamber R₂ becomes less than the pressure ofthe refrigerant in the high pressure chamber R₁, then the pistoncylinder 12 moves from the first position to the second position in themain chamber R₃ as shown in FIG. 22 (cooling mode), wherein the outletpipe 5 communicates with the pipe 8 through the high pressure space S2,while the inlet pipe 6 communicates with the pipe 7 through the closedspace S1.

[0602] To the contrary, if the movement of the latch piece 34 a in theretreating direction by the plate 33 j takes place after the latchpieced 34 a has come back from the second regulation position to thederegulation position, the movement of the latch piece 34 a in theretreating direction is restrained at the first regulation position,therefore, a stroke of the latch piece 34 a in the retreating directionbecomes equal to the first stroke L1.

[0603] As a result, as shown in FIG. 21, since the pin 33 h can not comeinto contact with the pilot valve element 33 e and is kept aparttherefrom, the pilot valve element 33 e keeps closing the pilot path 33c due to the energizing force by the coil spring 33 f, therefore, themain chamber R₃ is kept insulated from the second space R₄₂ of the subchamber R₄ and the piston cylinder 12 is kept staying at the firstposition, thereby the outlet pipe 5 communicates with the pipe 7 throughthe high pressure space S2, while the inlet pipe 6 communicates with thepipe 8 through the closed space S1.

[0604] That is, when the latch piece 34 a, which has come back to thederegulation position from the second regulation position, is moved inthe retreating direction due to the movement of the plate 33 j uponstarting of the operation of the compressor 4, as shown in FIG. 21, themovement of the latch piece 34 a is restrained at the first regulatingpisition due to the latch mechanism 34, then the pilot valve element 33e energized by the coil spring 33 f closes the pilot path 33 c, therebythe piston cylinder 12 keeps staying at the first position as shown inFIG. 18.

[0605] Thereafter, the inner pressure of the first space R₄₁, exceedingthe inner pressure of the second space R₄₂ of the sub chamber R₄, isreduced so as to be close to the inner pressure of the second space R₄₂,by tentatively halting the operation of the compressor 4 and the like,thereby the first space R₄₁ is reduced and the second space R₄₂ isexpanded. As a result, as shown in FIG. 19, the latch piece 34 asituated at the first regulaion position by the plate 33 j advances intothe inside of the sub chamber R₄ and comes back to the deregulationposition, while the plate 33 j is moved in the direction away from thediaphragm 33 a by the latch piece 34 a.

[0606] To the contrary, when the latch piece 34 a, which has come backto the deregulation position from the first regulation position, ismoved in the retreating direction due to the movement of the plate 33 jupon starting of the operation of the compressor 4, the movement of thelatch piece 34 a is restrained only at the second regulating pisition,therefore, the pilot valve element 33 e is moved in the direction awayfrom the opposite end of the pilot path 33 c by the pin 33 h connectedto the plate 33 j, by overcoming the energizing force due to the coilspring 33 f, thereby the pilot path 33 c is opened and the pistoncylinder 12 is situated at the second position as shown in FIG. 22.

[0607] Again thereafter, the inner pressure of the first space R₄₁,exceeding the inner pressure of the second space R₄₂ of the sub chamberR₄, is reduced so as to be close to the inner pressure of the secondspace R₄₂, by tentatively halting the operation of the compressor 4 andthe like, thereby the first space R₄₁ is reduced and the second spaceR₄₂ is expanded. As a result, as shown in FIG. 19, the latch piece 34 asituated at the second regulaion position by the plate 33 j advancesinto the inside of the sub chamber R₄ and comes back to the deregulationposition, while the plate 33 j is moved in the direction away from thediaphragm 33 a by the latch piece 34 a.

[0608] Then, the pin 33 h connected to the plate 33 j is apart from thepilot valve element 33 e and then, the pilot valve element 33 e, whichhas been moved in the direction away from the opposite end of the pilotpath 33 c by the pin 33 h, closes the pilot path 33 c by the energizingforce due to the coil spring 33 f, thereby the piston cylinder 12 movesfrom the second position to the first position as shown in FIG. 18.

[0609] The channel selector valve according to the seventh embodimentconstracted as described above gives a similar effect with that of thechannel selector valve according to the fifth embodiment.

[0610] In contrast with the seventh embodiment, FIG. 23 is a viewillustrating a schematic constitution of a refrigerating cycle employinga channel selector valve according to a eighth embodiment of the presentinvention. As to the eighth embodiment, the outdoor heat exchanger 9B isconnected to the pipe 7 while the indoor heat exchanger 9A is connectedto the pipe 8, and when the piston cylinder 12 is restrained by thelatch mechanism 32 and situated at the first position, the outlet pipe 5communicates with the outdoor heat exchanger 9B through the highpressure space S2 and the pipe 7 while the inlet pipe 6 communicateswith the indoor heat exchanger 9A through the closed space S1 and thepipe 8.

[0611] In the following, a channel selector valve, in which the channelis selected by controlling an opening ratio of an electrically-drivenexpansion valve, according to a ninth embodiment of the presentinvention will be explained with reference to FIGS. 24 to 27.

[0612]FIG. 24 is a view illustrating a schematic constitution of arefrigerating cycle employing a channel selector valve according to theninth embodiment of the present invention, in which the sameabbreviation numerals with those used for the corresponding identicalmembers or parts of the refrigerating cycle according to the firstembodiment shown in FIG. 1 are used.

[0613] The channel selector valve according to the ninth embodiment, astate in operation in the hearting mode of which is shown in FIG. 24 byits sectional view, constitutes the refrigerating cycle A together withthe compressor 4, the indoor heat exchanger 9A, the outdoor heatexchanger 9B, an electrically-driven expansion valve 10A and a capillarytube 10B, wherein the electrically-driven expansion valve 10A and thecapillary tube 10B are provided between the indoor heat exchanger 9A andthe outdoor heat exchanger 9B.

[0614] The channel selector valve according to the ninth embodiment isdifferent from that according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 ina point that a part of a housing 29 a of a state-holding selector valve29 is inserted into the inside of the reversing valve housing 1 througha stopper 3 that seals one end of the reversing valve housing 1.

[0615] In the channel selector valve according to the ninth embodiment,as shown in FIG. 25, i.e. a view illustrating a schematic constitutionof a refrigerating cycle in which a sectional view of the channelselector valve of FIG. 24 in a cooling mode is shown, the pistoncylinder 12 can move between a second position where the piston cylinderabuts on the stopper 3 to be restrained from moving further toward thestopper 3 and a first position where an end of a connecting shaft 28abuts on a stopper 2 so that the piston cylinder 12 is restrained frommoving further toward the stopper 2.

[0616] As shown in FIG. 24, the state-holding selector valve 29comprises the housing 29 a, a selector valve element 29 e received inthe housing 29 a (corresponding to the second selector valve element)and a coil spring 29 k (corresponding to energizing means for energizingthe selector valve).

[0617] As shown in FIG. 26, the housing 29 a has a cylindrical shapewith its one end closed and an open end of the housing 29 a is insertedinto the inside of the pressure-transducing chamber R₂ of the reversingvalve housing 1, and a first port 29 b for communicating the interior ofthe housing 29 a to the exterior thereof is provided near the closed endof the housing 29 a.

[0618] The first port 29 b is connected to a channel 14A from theoutside of the housing 29 a and as shown in FIG. 24, the channel 14A isconnected to a position situated between the electrically-drivenexpansion valve 10A and the capillary tube 10B.

[0619] As shown in FIG. 26, a second port 29 c for communicating theinterior of the housing 29 a to the exterior thereof is provided at aposition where is a little nearer to the stopper 2 than the position ofthe first port 29 b.

[0620] The second port 29 c is connected to a channel 14B from theoutside of the housing 29 a and as shown in FIG. 24, the channel 14B isconnected to an inlet pipe 6.

[0621] Further, as shown in FIG. 26, a third port 29 d for communicatingthe interior of the housing 29 a to the pressure-transducing chamber R₂is provided at the same circumferential position with that of the secondport 29 c.

[0622] The selector valve element 29 e has an outer diametercorresponding to an inner diameter of the housing 29 a, a pin 29 f isformed at an end of the selector valve element 29 e, and the pin 29 fpasses through a stopper ring 29 g engaged with the housing 29 a andprotrudes toward the outside of an open end of the housing 29 a.

[0623] Further, a ring-shaped groove 29 h is formed on a circumferentialsurface of the selector valve element 29 e and a through hole 29 j isformed passing through the inside of the selector valve element 29 e andthe pin 29 f.

[0624] One end of the coil spring 29 k is inserted into the through hole29 j of the selector valve element 29 e and locked at a level differencein the through hole 29 j, while an opposite end of the coil spring 29 kis abuts on the closed end of the housing 29 a. The coil spring 29 kenergizes the selector valve element 29 e toward a direction in which alevel difference between the selector valve element 29 e and the pin 29f abuts on the stopper ring 29 g, that is, a direction in which theselector valve element 29 e protrudes toward the pressure-transducingchamber R₂ from the open end of the housing 29 a.

[0625] As to the state-holding selector valve 29, in a first state thatthe level difference between the selector valve element 29 e and the pin29 f abuts on the stopper ring 29 g due to the energizing force by thecoil spring 29 k, the selector valve element 29 e is situated at aposition where is nearer to the open end of the housing 29 a than thefirst port 29 b, the first port 29 b communicates with thepressure-transducing chamber R₂ through the through hole 29 j, and thering-shaped groove 29 h connects only to the third port 29 d so that thesecond port 29 c is closed by the circumferential surface of theselector valve element 29 e.

[0626] Further, as to the state-holding selector valve 29, as shown inFIG. 27, in a second state that the level difference between theselector valve element 29 e and the pin 29 f is apart from the stopperring 29 g toward the closed end of the housing 29 a, the first port 29 bis closed by the circumferential surface of the selector valve element29 e, the ring-shaped groove 29 h connectes to both the second port 29 cand the third port 29 d so that the second port 29 c communicates withthe pressure-transducing chamber R₂ through the ring-shaped groove 29 hand the third port 29 d.

[0627] In the following, an operation of the channel selector valveaccording to the ninth embodiment constracted as described above will beexplained.

[0628] When the operation of the compressor 4 is halted, as shown inFIG. 24, the piston cylinder 12 is situated at the first position byenergizing the compression spring 13, then the inlet pipe 6 communicateswith the pipe 8 through the closed space S1 while the outlet pipe 5communicates with the pipe 7 through the high pressure space S2.

[0629] This situation corresponds to the first state of thestate-holding selector valve 29, in which the selector valve element 29e is energized by the coil spring 29 k so that the channel 14Acommunicates with the pressure-transducing chamber R₂ through the firstport 29 b, then the pressure-transducing chamber R₂ communicates with aposition situated between the electrically-driven expansion valve 10Aand the capillary tube 10B in the refrigerating cycle A, to which thechannel 14A is connected.

[0630] Therefore, when the compressor 4 starts to operate, if therefrigerant pressure, at the position situated between theelectrically-driven expansion valve 10A and the capillary tube 10B inthe refrigerating cycle A, is much the same with the pressure of therefrigerant flowed into the high pressure space S2, that is, if theforward drive force F1 is equal to or less than the resultant forceF2+Fs+Ff, the piston cylinder 12 stays at the first position.

[0631] Then, since the piston cylinder 12 stays at the first position,as shown in FIG. 26, the selector valve element 29 e is kept to beenergized by the coil spring 29 k, as a result, the state-holdingselector valve 29 keeps its first state, in which thepressure-transducing chamber R₂ communicates with the channel 14A.

[0632] Therefore, even after the compressor 4 starts to operate, as longas the pressure of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 4 andthe refrigerant pressure at the position situated between theelectrically-driven expansion valve 10A and the capillary tube 10B areset so that the forward drive force F1 is equal to or less than theresultant force F2+Fs+Ff, the piston cylinder 12 keeps staying at thefirst position, as a result, the inlet pipe 6 keeps communicating withthe pipe 8 through the closed space S1 while the outlet pipe 5 keepscommunicating with the pipe 7 through the high pressure space S2.

[0633] To the contrary, if the refrigerant pressure, at the positionsituated between the electrically-driven expansion valve 10A and thecapillary tube 10B in the refrigerating cycle A, is much lower than thepressure of the refrigerant flowed into the high pressure space S2, thatis, if the forward drive force F1 exceeds the resultant force F2+Fs+Ff,the piston cylinder 12 moves from the first position and situated at thesecond position as shown in FIG. 25.

[0634] When the piston cylinder 12 moves to the second position, thepiston cylinder 12 pushes the pin 29 f toward the closed end of thehousing 29 a, as shown in FIG. 27, the selector valve element 29 e is inselecting operation by the pin 29 f against the energizing force due tothe coil spring 29 k, then the state-holding selector valve 29 ischanged to be in the second state in which the pressure-transducingchamber R₂ communicates with the channel 14B from the first state inwhich the pressure-transducing chamber R₂ communicates with the channel14A.

[0635] Then, the pressure-transducing chamber R₂ communicates with theinlet pipe 6 to which the channel 14B is connected and the refrigerantpressure in the pressure-transducing chamber R₂ becomes equal to thepressure of the refrigerant in the inlet pipe 6, which is much lowerthan the pressure of the refrigerant flowed into the high pressure spaceS2.

[0636] Therefore, the refrigerant pressure in the high pressure chamberR₁ exceeds the refrigerant pressure in the pressure-transducing chamberR₂ by a difference between the refrigerant pressure in the outlet pipe 5and the refrigerant pressure in the inlet pipe 6, thereby the pistoncylinder 12 keeps staying at the second position.

[0637] Then, since the piston cylinder 12 keeps staying at the secondposition, through the selecting operation of the selector valve element29 e against the energizing force due to the coil spring 29 k, by thepin 29 f pushed by the piston cylinder 12, the state-holding selectorvalve 29 is maintained in the second state, in which thepressure-transducing chamber R₂ communicates with the channel 14B.

[0638] That is, when the compressor 4 starts to operate, if therefrigerant pressure, at the position situated between theelectrically-driven expansion valve 10A and the capillary tube 10B inthe refrigerating cycle A, is set so that the resultant force F2+Fs+Ffis equal to or more than the forward drive force F1, as shown in FIG.24, the piston cylinder 12 keeps staying at the first position and thestate-holding selector valve 29 is maintained in the first state.

[0639] To the contrary, when the compressor 4 starts to operate, if therefrigerant pressure, at the position situated between theelectrically-driven expansion valve 10A and the capillary tube 10B inthe refrigerating cycle A, is set so that the resultant force F2+Fs+Ffis less than the forward drive force F1, as shown in FIG. 25, the pistoncylinder 12 moves from the first position to the second position and thestate-holding selector valve 29 is changed from the first state to thesecond state, thereby the piston cylinder 12 is kept staying at thesecond position.

[0640] Thereafter, the pressure of the refrigerant, which is dischargedfrom the compressor 4 and flows into the high pressure space S2 throughthe outlet pipe 5, is reduced by stopping the operation of thecompressor 4 or the like so that the forward drive force F1 is equal toor less than the force F2+Fs−Ff, thereby the piston cylinder 12 movesfrom the second position to the first position as shown in FIG. 24.

[0641] When the piston cylinder 12 is moved from the second position tothe first position, the energizing force due to the coil spring 29 kaffects the selector valve element 29 e, which has been in its action bythe pin 29 f, then the state-holding selector valve 29 is changed to bein the first state in which the pressure-transducing chamber R₂communicates with the channel 14A from the second state in which thepressure-transducing chamber R₂ communicates with the channel 14B.

[0642] Therefore, when the refrigerating cycle A is operated in theheating mode, the refrigerant pressure, at the position situated betweenthe electrically-driven expansion valve 10A and the capillary tube 10Bin the refrigerating cycle A, is set high by controlling theelectrically-driven expansion valve 10A into its closed side uponstarting of operation of the compressor 4 so that the resultant forceF2+Fs+Ff is equal to or more than the forward drive force F1, therebythe piston cylinder 12 is kept staying at the first position.

[0643] On the other hand, when the refrigerating cycle A is operated inthe cooling mode, the refrigerant pressure, at the position situatedbetween the electrically-driven expansion valve 10A and the capillarytube 10B in the refrigerating cycle A, is set low by controlling theelectrically-driven expansion valve 10A into its open side upon startingof operation of the compressor 4 so that the resultant force F2+Fs+Ff isless than the forward drive force F1, thereby the piston cylinder 12 ismoved from the first position to the second position right after theoperation of the compressor 4.

[0644] Then, once the piston cylinder 12 is moved to the secondposition, as long as the the forward drive force F1 is greater than theforce F2+Fs−Ff, the piston cylinder 12 is kept staying at the secondposition even if the opening ratio of the electrically-driven expansionvalve 10A is throttled, thereby the piston cylinder 12 is kept stayingat the second position and the refrigerating cycle A is kept beingoperated in the cooling mode.

[0645] Thus, in the ninth embodiment, there is provided thestate-holding selector valve 29, by which the pressure-transducingchamber R₂ of the reversing valve housing 1 is selectively connected toeither the position situated between the electrically-driven expansionvalve 10A and the capillary tube 10B in the refrigerating cycle A or theinlet pipe 6 through the channel 14A or 14B.

[0646] Therefore, the heating mode, in which the refrigerant dischargedfrom the compressor 4 is supplied to the indoor heat exchanger 9A by wayof the pipe 7, and the cooling mode, in which the refrigerant dischargedfrom the compressor 4 is supplied to the outdoor heat exchanger 9B byway of the pipe 8, can be selected by a change in the pressure of thedischarged refrigerant or by a change in the pressure of the refrigerantat the position situated between the electrically-driven expansion valve10A and the capillary tube 10B upon start of operation of the compressor4 and the selected state can be maintained, without using any exclusivepower source such as an electromagnetic solenoid.

[0647] According to the ninth embodiment, since a power for theselection operation of the channel selector valve is obtained from achange in the refrigerant pressure in the high pressure chamber R₁ ofthe reversing valve housing 1 and in the pressure-transducing chamber R₂by controlling the open ratio of the electrically-driven expansion valve10A, there is no necessity of using an electrically-driven drive sourcesuch as an electromagnetic solenoid, which has been explained in theprior art section of the present specification.

[0648] In the following, a channel selector valve, in which the channelis selected by a change in a oscillational frequency generated by acompressor, according to a tenth embodiment of the present inventionwill be explained with reference to FIGS. 28 and 29.

[0649]FIG. 28 is a view illustrating a schematic constitution of arefrigerating cycle employing the channel selector valve according tothe tenth embodiment of the present invention, in which the sameabbreviation numerals with those used for the corresponding identicalmembers or parts of the refrigerating cycle according to the ninthembodiment shown in FIG. 24 are used.

[0650] As shown in FIG. 28, the channel selector valve according to thetenth embodiment is different from the channel selector valve accordingto the ninth embodiment shown in FIG. 24 in points that a state-holdingselector valve 29A without the first port 29 b (of the state-holdingselector valve 29) is employed instead of the state-holding selectorvalve 29, that a channel 14C diverged from the channel 14B is connectedto the pressure-transducing chamber R₂ through the stopper 3 from theoutside of the reversing valve housing 1, and that a pilot oscillationvalve 30 is provided in the channel 14C.

[0651] As shown in FIG. 29, the pilot oscillation valve 30 comprises ahousing 30 a, an oscillator 30 d received in the housing 30 a, a ballvalve 30 f received in the oscillator 30 d, and coil springs 30 g, 30 hand 30 j.

[0652] A first port 30 b, which communicates the interior of thepressure-transducing chamber R₂ to the interior of the housing 30 a, isformed at one end surface of the housing 30 a, while a second port 30 ccommunicating with the channel 14B is formed at an opposite end surfaceof the housing 30 a.

[0653] The oscillator 30 d has a flange 30 e at the center in the lengthdirection of its cross section and the coil springs 30 g and 30 h areprovided at both sides of the oscillator 30 d in the length direction ofits cross section, wherein the coil spring 30 g is provided between theflange 30 e and the one end surface of the housing 30 a, while the coilspring 30 h is provided between the flange 30 e and the opposite endsurface of the housing 30 a.

[0654] The coil springs 30 j are provided between the flange 30 e and aninner wall of the housing 30 a with leaving a space in thecircumferential direction of the housing 30 a, while the ball valve 30 fis partially buried in an end surface of the oscillator 30 d, said endsurface being situated at the opposite end surface of the housing 30 a.

[0655] The oscillator 30 d is movable in directions of three dimensionsby the coil springs 30 g, 30 h and 30 j and supported by elastic forcesof the coil springs 30 g, 30 h and 30 j so as to come back to a standardposition where the ball valve 30 f closes the second port 30 c.

[0656] According to the pilot oscillation valve 30 constructed asmentioned above, when an oscillation having a specific frequency isgenerated in the housing 30 a, the oscillator 30 d resonates because abalance among the elastic forces of the coil springs 30 g, 30 h and 30 jis lost, thereby the oscillator 30 d periodically moves on a specificthree-dimensional locus and the ball valve 30 f opens the second port 30c.

[0657] On the other hand, according to the pilot oscillation valve 30,when an oscillation having a different frequency from the specificfrequency is generated in the housing 30 a or when no oscillation takesplace in the housing 30 a, the oscillator 30 d is situated at thestandard position by the elastic forces of the coil springs 30 g, 30 hand 30 j so that the ball valve 30 f keeps closing the second port 30 c.

[0658] In the following, an operation of the channel selector valveaccording to the tenth embodiment constructed as described above will beexplained.

[0659] When the operation of the compressor 4 is halted, as shown inFIG. 28, the piston cylinder 12 is situated at the first position, theinlet pipe 6 communicates with the pipe 8 while the outlet pipe 5communicates with the pipe 7, then in this situation the oscillator 30 dof the pilot oscillation valve 30 is situated at the standard positionand the ball valve 30 f closes the second port 30 c.

[0660] Then, when the compressor 4 starts to operate, an oscillation ofthe compressor 4 is propagated to the reversing valve housing 1, thestopper 3 and the housing 30 a through the inlet valve 6 and the channel14C, thereby the housing 30 a oscillates with a frequency correspondingto the oscillation of the compressor 4.

[0661] If the oscillation of the housing 30 a has not the specificfrequency, the oscillator 30 d is situated at the standard position andthe ball valve 30 f closes the second port 30 c, that is, thepressure-transducing chamber R₂ is isolated from the inlet pipe 6,therefore, the piston cylinder 12 is kept staying at the first positionas long as the forward drive force F1 is equal to or less than theresultant force F2+Fs+Ff.

[0662] If the piston cylinder 12 is kept staying at the first position,the selector valve element 29 e is kept energized by the coil spring 29k, therefore, the state-holding selector valve 29 keeps staying in thefirst state, in which the pressure-transducing chamber R₂ is isolatedfrom the channel 14B and the refrigerant pressure in thepressure-transducing chamber R₂ does not change, thereby the pistoncylinder 12 keeps staying at the first position.

[0663] On the contrary, if the oscillation of the housing 30 a has thespecific frequency, the oscillator 30 d resonates and the ball valve 30f opens the second port 30 c, then the pressure-transducing chamber R₂communicates with the inlet pipe 6 of the compressor 4 through the pilotoscillation valve. 30 and the channel 14C, thereby the refrigerantpressure in the pressure-transducing chamber R₂ becomes equal to therefrigerant pressure in the inlet pipe 6, which is much lower than thepressure of the refrigerant flowed into the high pressure space S2.

[0664] Therefore, the forward drive force F1 exceeds the resultant forceF2+Fs+Ff, as a result, the piston cylinder 12 moves from the firstposition to the second position.

[0665] When the piston cylinder 12 moves from the first position to thesecond position, the pin 29 f, which is pushed toward the closed end ofthe housing 29 a by the piston cylinder, makes the selector valveelement 29 e be in selecting operation against the energizing force dueto the coil spring 29 k, then the state-holding selector valve 29changes its state from the first state to the second state so as tocommunicate the the pressure-transducing chamber R₂ to the channel 14B,that is, the pressure-transducing chamber R₂ communicates with the inletpipe 6 through a different path from the path of the pilot oscillationvalve 30 and the channel 14C.

[0666] Therefore, thereafter, even if the oscillation of the compressor4 changes, that is, the oscillation frequency of the housing 30 a ischanged from the specific frequency and the oscillator 30 d comes backto the standard position and then the ball valve 30 f closes the secondport 30 c, the refrigerant pressure in the the pressure-transducingchamber R₂ is kept equal to the refrigerant pressure in the inlet pipe6, thereby the piston cylinder 12 keeps staying at the second position.

[0667] Further, thereafter, if the pressure of the refrigerant flowedinto the high pressure space S2 from the compressor 4 through the outletpipe 5 is reduced by tentatively halting the operation of the compressor4 and the like so as to move the piston cylinder 12 from the secondposition to the first position, the state-holding selector valve 29changes its state from the second state to the first state by theenergizing force due to the coil spring 29 k, said energizing forceaffecting the selector valve element 29 e that has been made be inselecting operation by the pin 29 f, thereby the oscillator 30 d comesback to the standard position and the ball valve 30 f keeps closing thesecond port 30 c.

[0668] Consequently, when the refrigerating cycle A is operated in theheating mode, the number of revolution of the compressor 4 upon start ofits operation is set so that the housing 30 a oscillates with afrequency, which is different from the specific frequency, by theoscillation of the compressor 4 propagated through the reversing valvehousing 1, stopper 3, the inlet pipe 6 and the channel 14C, thereby thepiston cylinder 12 can be kept staying at the first position.

[0669] On the other hand, when the refrigerating cycle A is operated inthe cooling mode, the number of revolution of the compressor 4 uponstart of its operation is set so that the housing 30 a oscillates withthe specific frequency by the oscillation of the compressor 4 propagatedthrough the reversing valve housing 1, stopper 3, the inlet pipe 6 andthe channel 14C, thereby the piston cylinder 12 can be moved from thefirst position to the second position right after the operation of thecompressor 4.

[0670] Then, once the piston cylinder 12 is moved to the secondposition, as long as the compressor 4 keeps operating, the pistoncylinder 12 is kept staying at the second position even if theoscillation of the compressor 4 changes and the oscillation frequency ofthe housing 30 a changes from the specific frequency, thereby therefrigerating cycle A is kept operating in the cooling mode.

[0671] The channel selector valve according to the tenth embodimentconstructed as described above gives a similar effect with thataccording to the ninth embodiment.

[0672] According to the tenth embodiment, since a power for theselection operation of the channel selector valve is obtained from achange in the refrigerant pressure in the high pressure chamber R₁ ofthe reversing valve housing 1 and in the pressure-transducing chamber R₂by the pilot oscillation valve 30, in which the pilot oscillation valve30 opens or closes depending upon a change in the frequency of theoscillation generated by the compressor 4, therefore similarly to theninth embodiment, there is no necessity of using an electrically-drivendrive source such as an electromagnetic solenoid, which has beenexplained in the prior art section of the present specification.

[0673] In addition, according to the tenth embodiment, upon starting ofthe operation of the compressor 4 there is no necessity of adjusting thepressure of the refrigerant, which is introduced into thepressure-transducing chamber R₂ through the channel 14A by opening orclosing of the electrically-driven expansion valve 10A in therefrigerating cycle A, said adjusting is needed in the ninth embodiment,therefore, the constitution of the channel selector valve according tothe tenth embodiment becomes simple since there is noelectrically-driven expansion valve 10A needed in the refrigeratingcycle A, thereby the selector operation of the channel selector valvefor selecting the heating and cooling modes can be more easilyperformed.

[0674] In the ninth and tenth embodiments, the piston cylinder 12 may beprovided with a pin instead of providing the selector valve element 29 ewith the pin 29 f.

[0675] In the following, a channel selector valve, in which the channelis selected by adjusting a heat-exchange capacity by heat exchangers,according to a eleventh embodiment of the present invention will beexplained with reference to FIGS. 30 and 31.

[0676]FIG. 30 is a view illustrating a schematic constitution of arefrigerating cycle employing the channel selector valve according tothe eleventh embodiment of the present invention, in which the sameabbreviation numerals with those used for the corresponding identicalmembers or parts of the refrigerating cycle according to the ninthembodiment shown in FIG. 24 are used.

[0677] As shown in FIG. 30, the channel selector valve according to theeleventh embodiment is different from the channel selector valveaccording to the ninth embodiment shown in FIG. 24 in points that theelectrically-driven expansion valve 10A is omitted and that adifferential pressure selector valve 40 is provided between the outlepipe 5 and the inlet pipe 6.

[0678] As shown in FIG. 31, the differential pressure selector valve 40comprises the housing 40 a, a bellows 40 b received in the housing 40 a,a valve element 40 f for opening or closing a valve port 40 e thatpartitions the housing 40 a into a first chamber 40 c and a secondchamber 40 d by expansion and contraction of the bellows 40 b, and apilot valve 40 h, which opens or closes a pilot path 40 g that passesthrough the valve element 40 f and communicates with the interior of thebellows 40 b, by opening and closing action of the valve element 40 f,wherein the bellows 40 b is energized by a coil spring 40 j in adirection of expansion and contraction of the bellows 40 b, and thevalve element 40 f is energized toward a direction of closing the valveport 40 e by the energized force.

[0679] The first chamber 40 c is connected to the channel 14A, thesecond chamber 40 d communicates with the inlet pipe 6 through thechannel 14D, and the interior of the bellows 40 b communicates with theoutlet pipe 5 through the channel 14E.

[0680] In the following, an operation of the channel selector valveaccording to the eleventh embodiment will be explained. The bellows 40b, into which the refrigerant is introduced from the outlet pipe 5through the channel 14E, keeps its contracted state as long as adifferential pressure between the refrigerant in the bellows 40 b andthe refrigerant in the second chamber 40 d, which is introduced from theinlet pipe 6 through the channel 14D, is equal to or lower than theenergizing force by the coil spring 40 j, then the valve element 40 fkeeps closing the valve port 40 e, on the other hand, when saiddifferential pressure exceeds the energizing force by the coil spring 40j, the bellows 40 b expands and the valve element 40 f opens the valveport 40 e.

[0681] Here, if a differential pressure of the refrigerant, whichexceeds the energizing force by the coil spring 40 j, is defined as adifferential pressure threshold Pk, Pk is determined from a relationwith the energizing force by the coil spring 40 j, however usually, thedifferential pressure of the refrigerant is not set to be Pk, that is, ausual differential pressure of the refrigerant is kept to be lower thanthe energizing force by the coil spring 40 j.

[0682] When the refrigerating cycle A is operated in the heating mode,the differential pressure of the refrigerant is controlled to be lowerthan the energizing force by the coil spring 40 j, thereby the valveelement 40 f closes the valve port 40 e and the refrigerant dischargedfrom the compressor 4 is introduced into the pressure-transducingchamber R₂ through the outlet pipe 5, the channel 14E, the interior ofthe bellows 40 b, the pilot path 40 g of the valve element 40 f, and thechannel 14A, thereby the refrigerant pressure in the high pressurechamber R₁ is made to be equal to the refrigerant pressure in thepressure-transducing chamber R₂, therefore the piston cylinder 12 ismade situated at the first position.

[0683] On the other hand, when the refrigerating cycle A is operated inthe cooling mode, the differential pressure of the refrigerant is oncecontrolled to be Pk that is higher than the energizing force by the coilspring 40 j, thereby the valve element 40 f opens the valve port 40 edue to the expansion of the bellows 40 b and the pilot valve 40 h closesthe pilot path 40 g, then the pressure-transducing chamber R₂communicates with the inlet pipe 6 through the channel 14A, the valveport 40 e, the channel 14D and then, the refrigerant pressure in thepressure-transducing chamber R₂ is made lower than the refrigerantpressure in the high pressure chamber R₁, thereby the piston cylinder 12is moved from the first position to the second position.

[0684] Once the piston cylinder 12 is moved to the second position,thereafter, the piston cylinder 12 is kept staying at the secondposition by the state-holding selector valve 29, therefore the coolingmode is maintained even if the refrigerant pressure is controlled to belower than the energizing force by the coil spring 40 j.

[0685] In order to control the refrigerant pressure to be thedifferential pressure threshold Pk, the easiest method is to change aheat-exchange capacity of the indoor heat exchanger 9A and the outdoorheat exchanger 9B. For example, if an operation of an air blower of theindoor heat exchanger 9A or the outdoor heat exchanger 9B is halted, thethermal conduction therein is impeded and the efficiency of heatexchange is decreased, as a result, the refrigerant pressure increaseswhile the pressure of the refrigerant sucked into the compressor 4 islowered, thereby the differential pressure of the refrigerant is easilymade to be Pk.

[0686] The channel selector valve according to the eleventh embodimentconstructed as described above gives a similar effect with thataccording to the ninth or tenth embodiment.

[0687] According to the eleventh embodiment, since a power for theselection operation of the channel selector valve is obtained bychanging the differential pressure between the refrigerant in the highpressure chamber R₁ of the reversing valve housing 1 and the refrigerantin the pressure-transducing chamber R₂, due to the change in therefrigerant pressure generated by the change in the efficiency of heatexchange in the indoor heat exchanger 9A or the outdoor heat exchanger9B, therefore, similarly to the channel selector valve according to theninth or tenth embodiment, there is no necessity of using anelectrically-driven drive source such as an electromagnetic solenoid,which has been explained in the prior art section of the presentspecification.

[0688] In the following, a channel selector valve according to a twelfthembodiment of the present invention, in which a selection operation isperformed by two three-way selector valves, will be explained withreference to FIG. 32.

[0689]FIG. 32 is a view illustrating a schematic constitution of arefrigerating cycle employing a channel selector valve according to thetwelfth embodiment of the present invention, in which the sameabbreviation numerals with those used for the corresponding identicalmembers or parts of the channel selector valve according to the firstembodiment shown in FIG. 1 are used.

[0690] The channel selector valve according to the twelfth embodiment, astate in operation in the hearting mode of which is shown in FIG. 32 byits sectional view, is different from the channel selector valveaccording to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 in points that afour-way selector valve is constituted by two three-way selector valves,i.e. a first three-way selector valve 41 and a second three-way selectorvalve 42, which are connected in parallell to a series circuitcomprising an indoor heat exchanger 9A, a throttle 10 and an outdoorheat exchanger 9B and that the two three-way selector valves, i.e. afirst three-way selector valve 41 and a second three-way selector valve42 are connected to a compressor 4.

[0691] As shown in FIG. 32, the first three-way selector valve 41comprises a reversing valve housing 1 (corresponding to a housing), anoutlet pipe 5, pipe 7A and pipe 7B, which are connected to the reversingvalve housing 1, and a piston 41 a (corresponding to a movable member)that allows the outlet pipe 5 to communicate with either the pipe 7A orthe pipe 7B through the interior of the reversing valve housing 1.

[0692] The reversing valve housing 1 of the first three-way selectorvalve 41 has a cylindrical shape, in which a large diameter cylinder 1 ais sandwiched by two small diameter cylinders 1 b and 1 c, wherein thepipes 7A and 7B are connected to the small diameter cylinder 1 b and 1c, respectively, and the outlet pipe 5 is connected to the largediameter cylinder 1 a.

[0693] In the interior of the small diameter cylinders 1 b and 1 c,there are provided bearings 41 b and 41 c, respectively, by which aslide shaft 41 d is supported rotatively and slidably in an axialdirection, in addition, there are provided channels 41 e and 41 fpassing through between each end of the bearings 41 b and 41 c,respectively.

[0694] On a circumferential surface of the slide shaft 41 d, there areput stoppers 41 g and 41 h (for example, E-rings) in the axial directionwith leaving a space therebetween, then a coil spring 41 j(corresponding to second storing means for storing energizing force) isprovided between the stoppers 41 g and the bearing 41 b, while a coilspring 41 k (corresponding to first storing means for storing energizingforce) is provided between the stoppers 41 h and the bearing 41 c, saidcoil springs 41 j and 41 k being put on the slide shaft 41 d.

[0695] The piston 41 a is formed to have a diameter, which is largerthan that of the small diameter cylinders 1 b and 1 c but smaller thanthat of the large diameter cylinder 1 a, and is received in the largediameter cylinder 1 a. The piston 41 a is put on the slide shaft 41 d soas to be slidable in the axial direction of the slide shaft 41 d betweenthe stopper 41 g and the stopper 41 h, then there is provided an O-ring41 m for sealing between the piston 41 a and the slide shaft 41 d.

[0696] The outlet pipe 5 is connected to an outlet (not shown in thefigure) of the compressor 4, the pipe 7A is connected to the indoor heatexchanger 9A while the pipe 8A is connected to the outdoor heatexchanger 9B.

[0697] In the first three-way selector valve 41 thus formed, when aforce larger than an elastic force of the coil spring 41 k is applied onan end surface of the slide shaft 41 d at the small diameter cylinder 1b side, the slide shaft 41 d moves toward the small diameter cylinder 1c side.

[0698] Then, the piston 41 a moves to the first position where thepiston 41 a pushed by the stopper 41 g closes a valve port 1 e, which isformed by a level difference between the large diameter cylinder 1 a andthe small diameter cylinder 1 c, and opens a valve port 1 d, which isformed by a level difference between the large diameter cylinder 1 a andthe small diameter cylinder 1 b, thereby the outlet pipe 5 communicateswith the pipe 7A through the channel 41 e of the bearing 41 b.

[0699] When the piston 41 a is at the first position, the coil spring 41k is pressed by the stopper 41 h to be compressed, thereby the coilspring 41 k is in a state that the coil spring 41 k stores an energizedforce to move the slide shaft 41 d toward the small diameter cylinder 1b side.

[0700] Then, in a state shown in FIG. 32, if a force applied on the endsurface of the slide shaft 41 d at the small diameter cylinder 1 b sideis removed, the stopper 41 h is pushed by the elastic force of the coilspring 41 k so that the slide shaft 41 d moves toward the small diametercylinder 1 b side.

[0701] Then, by a sliding resistance between the O-ring 41 m and theslide shaft 41 d, the piston 41 a together with the slide shaft 41 dmoves to the second position where the piston 41 a opens the valve port1 e and closes the valve port 1 d, thereby the outlet pipe 5communicates with the pipe 8A through the channel 41 f of the bearing 41c.

[0702] However, in a state that the slide shaft 41 d merely moves towardthe small diameter cylinder 1 b side by the elastic force of the coilspring 41 k, the piston 41 a does not move with relation to the slideshaft 41 d, therefore, the piston 41 a abuts on the stopper 41 g and isapart from the stopper 41 h, while the coil spring 41 j extends.

[0703] Then, when a force larger than the elastic force of the coilspring 41 j is applied on an end surface of the slide shaft 41 d at thesmall diameter cylinder 1 c side, only the slide shaft 41 d moves towardthe small diameter cylinder 1 b side until the stopper 41 h abuts on thepiston 41 a, thereby the stopper 41 g is apart from the piston 41 atoward the small diameter cylinder 1 b side.

[0704] Then, the coil spring 41 j is pressed by the stopper 41 g to becompressed, thereby the coil spring 41 j is in a state that the coilspring 41 j stores an energized force to move the slide shaft 41 dtoward the small diameter cylinder 1 c side.

[0705] Then, in this state, if a force applied on the end surface of theslide shaft 41 d at the small diameter cylinder 1 c side is removed, theslide shaft 41 d moves toward the small diameter cylinder 1 c side bythe elastic force of the coil spring 41 j.

[0706] Then, by a sliding resistance between the O-ring 41 m and theslide shaft 41 d, the piston 41 a together with the slide shaft 41 dmoves to the first position where the piston 41 a closes the valve port1 e and opens the valve port 1 d, thereby the outlet pipe 5 communicateswith the pipe 7A through the channel 41 e of the bearing 41 b.

[0707] However, in a state that the slide shaft 41 d merely moves towardthe small diameter cylinder 1 c side by the elastic force of the coilspring 41 j, the piston 41 a does not move with relation to the slideshaft 41 d, therefore, the piston 41 a abuts on the stopper 41 h and isapart from the stopper 41 g, while the coil spring 41 k extends.

[0708] Then, when a force larger than the elastic force of the coilspring 41 k is applied on an end surface of the slide shaft 41 d at thesmall diameter cylinder 1 b side, only the slide shaft 41 d moves towardthe small diameter cylinder 1 c side until the stopper 41 g abuts on thepiston 41 a, thereby the stopper 41 h is apart from the piston 41 atoward the small diameter cylinder 1 c side.

[0709] Then, the coil spring 41 k is pressed by the stopper 41 g to becompressed, thereby the coil spring 41 k comes back to the state shownin FIG. 32, in which the coil spring 41 k stores an energized force tomove the slide shaft 41 d toward the small diameter cylinder 1 b side.

[0710] On the other hand, the second three-way selector valve 42comprises a reversing valve housing 1 (corresponding to a housing), aninlet pipe 6, pipe 7B and pipe 8B, which are connected to the reversingvalve housing 1, and two pistons 42 a and 42 b (corresponding to amovable member) that allows the inlet pipe 6 to communicate with eitherthe pipe 7B or the pipe 8B through the interior of the reversing valvehousing 1.

[0711] The reversing valve housing 1 of the second three-way selectorvalve 42 has a cylindrical shape, in which a small diameter cylinder Ifis sandwiched by two large diameter cylinders 1 g and 1 h, wherein thepipes 7B and 8B are connected to the small diameter cylinder 1 g and 1h, respectively, and the inlet pipe 6 is connected to the small diametercylinder 1 f.

[0712] In the reversing valve housing 1, there is provided a slide shaft42 c movable in a thrust direction, on which stoppers 42 d, 42 e, 42 fand 42 g (for example, E-rings) are put in the axial direction withleaving a space therebetween.

[0713] Each piston 42 a and 42 b is formed to have a diameter, which islarger than that of the small diameter cylinder 1 f but smaller thanthat of the large diameter cylinders 1 g and 1 h, the pistons 42 a and42 b are received in the large diameter cylinders 1 g and 1 h,respectively. The piston 42 a is put on the slide shaft 42 c so as to beslidable in the axial direction of the slide shaft 42 c between thestopper 42 d and the stopper 42 e, while the piston 42 b is put on theslide shaft 42 c so as to be slidable in the axial direction of theslide shaft 42 c between the stopper 42 f and the stopper 42 g.

[0714] In the large diameter cylinder 1 g, there is received a coilspring 42 h for energizing the piston 42 a toward the large diametercylinder 1 h side, while in the large diameter cylinder 1 h, there isreceived a coil spring 42 j for energizing the piston 42 b toward thelarge diameter cylinder 1 g side, wherein there are provided O-rings 42k and 42 m for sealing between each piston 42 a and 42 b and the slideshaft 42 c.

[0715] The inlet pipe 6 is connected to a inlet (not shown in thefigure) of the compressor 4, the pipe 7B is connected to the indoor heatexchanger 9A and the pipe 7A of the first three-way selector valve 41,while the pipe 8B is connected to the outdoor heat exchanger 9B and thepipe 8A of the first three-way selector valve 41.

[0716] In the second three-way selector valve 42 constructed asdescribed above, when a force stronger than an elestic force by the coilspring 42 j is applied to the slide shaft 42 c from the large diametercylinder 1 g side, the slide shaft 42 c pushed by the stopper 42 dslides toward the large diameter cylinder 1 h side.

[0717] Then, the piston 42 b pushed by the stopper 42 f moves to thesecond position where the piston 42 b opens a valve port 1 m formed by alevel difference between the small diameter cylinder 1 f and the largediameter cylinder 1 h, while the piston 42 a moves to the secondposition where the piston 42 a closes a valve port 1 k formed by a leveldifference between the small diameter cylinder 1 f and the largediameter cylinder 1 g by a sliding resistance between the O-ring 42 kand the slide shaft 42 c, thereby the inlet pipe 6 is communicated tothe pipe 8B.

[0718] Then, at the second position of the piston 42 a, the coil spring42 j is pressed by the piston 42 b to be compressed, thereby the coilspring 42 j is in a state that the coil spring 42 j stores an energizedforce to move the piston 42 b toward the large diameter cylinder 1 gside.

[0719] Then, in the second three-way selector valve 42, in the stateshown in FIG. 32, if a force applied to the slide shaft 42 c from thelarge diameter cylinder 1 g side is removed, the piston 42 b is pressedby the elastic force of the coil spring 42 j and moves toward the firstposition where the piston 42 b closes the valve port 1 m, that is, theslide shaft 42 c moves toward the large diameter cylinder 1 g side.

[0720] Then, until the slide shaft 42 c is on a half way of movingtoward the large diameter cylinder 1 g side, due to the slidingresistance between the O-ring 42 k and the slide shaft 42 c, the piston42 a together with the slide shaft 42 c moves to the first positionwhere the piston 42 a opens the valve port 1 k, thereby the inlet pipe 6is communicated to the pipe 7B.

[0721] Then, in this state, if the slide shaft 42 c moves further towardthe large diameter cylinder 1 g side, an elastic force stronger than thesliding resistance between the O-ring 42 k and the slide shaft 42 c actsfrom the coil spring 42 h to the piston 42 a. Due to this elastic force,the piston 42 a stops at the first position, while only the slide shaft42 c moves toward the large diameter cylinder 1 g side, then the stopper42 d that has abutted on the piston 42 a is away from the piston 42 a,while the stopper 42 e that has been away from the piston 42 a comes incontact with the piston 42 a.

[0722] In this state, if a force stronger than the elastic force by thecoil spring 42 h is applied from the large diameter cylinder 1 h side tothe slide shaft 42 c, the piston 42 a is pressed by the stopper 42 e tomove toward the large diameter cylinder 1 g side, thereby the coilspring 42 h is pressed by the piston 42 a to be compressed and the coilspring 42 h is in a state that the coil spring 42 h stores theenergizing force to move the piston 42 a toward the large diametercylinder 1 h side.

[0723] At the same time, since at the first position where the piston 42b closes the valve port 1 m the piston 42 b is controlled from movingfurther toward the large diameter cylinder 1 g side, the stopper 42 fthat has abutted on the piston 42 b is away from the piston 42 b, whilethe stopper 42 g that has been away from the piston 42 b comes incontact with the piston 42 b.

[0724] In this state, if the force applied from the large diametercylinder 1 h side to the slide shaft 42 c is removed, the piston 42 a ispressed by the elastic force of the coil spring 42 h, thereby the piston42 a moves to the second position where where the piston 42 a closes thevalve port 1 k and the slide shaft 42 c moves toward the large diametercylinder 1 h side.

[0725] Then, until the slide shaft 42 c is on a half way of movingtoward the large diameter cylinder 1 h side, due to the slidingresistance between the O-ring 42 m and the slide shaft 42 c, the piston42 b together with the slide shaft 42 c moves to the second positionwhere the piston 42 b opens the valve port 1 m, thereby the inlet pipe 6is communicated to the pipe 8B.

[0726] Then, in this state, if the slide shaft 42 c moves further towardthe large diameter cylinder 1 h side, an elastic force stronger than thesliding resistance between the O-ring 42 m and the slide shaft 42 c actsfrom the coil spring 42 j to the piston 42 b. Due to this elastic force,the piston 42 b stops at the second position, while only the slide shaft42 c moves toward the large diameter cylinder 1 h side, then the stopper42 g that has abutted on the piston 42 b is away from the piston 42 b,while the stopper 42 f that has been away from the piston 42 b comes incontact with the piston 42 b.

[0727] In this state, if a force stronger than the elastic force by thecoil spring 42 j is applied from the large diameter cylinder 1 g side tothe slide shaft 42 c, the piston 42 b is pressed by the stopper 42 f tomove toward the large diameter cylinder 1 h side, thereby the coilspring 42 j is pressed by the piston 42 b to be compressed and the coilspring 42 j is in a state that the coil spring 42 j stores theenergizing force to move the piston 42 b toward the large diametercylinder 1 g side.

[0728] At the same time, since at the second position where the piston42 a closes the valve port 1 k the piston 42 a is controlled from movingfurther toward the large diameter cylinder 1 h side, the stopper 42 ethat has abutted on the piston 42 a is away from the piston 42 a, whilethe stopper 42 d that has been away from the piston 42 a comes incontact with the piston 42 a, thereby coming back to the state shown inFIG. 32.

[0729] In the following, an operation of the channel selector valveaccording to the twelfth embodiment constructed as described above willbe explained.

[0730] When the operation of the compressor 4 is halted, the coilsprings 41 j and 41 k of the first three-way selector valve 41 as wellas the coil springs 42 h and 42 j of the second three-way selector valve42 are all extended and are in a state to have no energizing force, thatis, the piston 41 a of the first three-way selector valve 41 and thepiston 42 a of the second three-way selector valve 42 are located ateach same positions with those during an ex-operation of the compressor4.

[0731] In a state that the piston 41 a of the first three-way selectorvalve 41 is at the first position and the pistons 42 a and 42 b of thesecond three-way selector valve 42 are at their second position, whenthe compressor 4 starts to operate, a high pressure refrigerantdischarged from the compressor 4 flows into the large diameter cylinder1 a of the first three-way selector valve 41 through the outlet pipe 5and then, further flows into the indoor heat exchanger 9A through thevalve port 1 d, the channel 41 e of the bearing 41 b and the pipe 7A.

[0732] Then, the refrigerant flowed into the indoor heat exchanger 9Aflows into the pipe 8B of the second three-way selector valve 42 by wayof the throttle 10, the outdoor heat exchanger 9B, and then, flows backto the inlet of the compressor 4 by way of the valve port 1 m and theinlet pipe 6, thereby the refrigerating cycle A is in the heating mode.

[0733] At this time, in the first three-way selector valve 41, since therefrigerant pressure in the pipe 7A communicating with the outlet of thecompressor 4 is higher than that in the pipe 8A communicating with theinlet of the compressor 4 through the second three-way selector valve42, the slide shaft 41 d is pressed toward the small diameter cylinder 1c side by a force stronger than the elastic force of the coil spring 41k causing the coil spring 41 k to be compressed, thereby the coil spring41 k stores the energizing force to energize the slide shaft 41 d towardthe small diameter cylinder 1 b side.

[0734] On the other hand, in the second three-way selector valve 42,since the refrigerant pressure in the pipe 7B communicating with theoutlet of the compressor 4 through the first three-way selector valve 41is higher than that in the pipe 8B communicating with the inlet of thecompressor 4, the slide shaft 42 c is applied by a force stronger thanthe elastic force of the coil spring 42 j from the large diametercylinder 1 g side, causing the piston 42 b to be pressed toward thelarge diameter cylinder 1 h side and the coil spring 42 j to becompressed, thereby the coil spring 42 j stores the energizing force toenergize the piston 42 b toward the large diameter cylinder 1 g side.

[0735] Thereafter, when the operation of the compressor 4 is halted, inthe first three-way selector valve 41, the piston 41 a together with theslide shaft 41 d moves toward the small diameter cylinder 1 b side bythe energizing force stored in the coil spring 41 k, thereby the piston41 a is situated at the second position.

[0736] On the other hand, in the second three-way selector valve 42, bythe energizing force stored in the coil spring 42 j, the piston 42 bmoves toward the large diameter cylinder 1 g side and is situated at thefirst position, while the slide shaft 42 c and the piston 42 a movetogether with the piston 42 b, thereby the piston 42 a is situated atthe first position.

[0737] In this state, when the compressor 4 starts to operate, a highpressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 4 flows into thelarge diameter cylinder 1 a of the first three-way selector valve 41through the outlet pipe 5 and then, further flows into the outdoor heatexchanger 9B through the valve port 1 e, the channel 41 f of the bearing41 c and the pipe 8A.

[0738] Then, the refrigerant flowed into the outdoor heat exchanger 9Bflows into the pipe 7B of the second three-way selector valve 42 by wayof the throttle 10, the indoor heat exchanger 9A, and then, flows backto the inlet of the compressor 4 by way of the valve port 1 k and theinlet pipe 6, thereby the refrigerating cycle A is in the cooling mode.

[0739] At this time, in the first three-way selector valve 41, since therefrigerant pressure in the pipe 8A communicating with the outlet of thecompressor 4 is higher than that in the pipe 7A communicating with theinlet of the compressor 4 through the second three-way selector valve42, the slide shaft 41 d is pressed toward the small diameter cylinder 1b side by a force stronger than the elastic force of the coil spring 41j causing the coil spring 41 j to be compressed, thereby the coil spring41 j stores the energizing force to energize the slide shaft 41 d towardthe small diameter cylinder 1 c side.

[0740] On the other hand, in the second three-way selector valve 42,since the refrigerant pressure in the pipe 8B communicating with theoutlet of the compressor 4 through the first three-way selector valve 41is higher than that in the pipe 7B communicating with the inlet of thecompressor 4, the slide shaft 42 c is applied by a force stronger thanthe elastic force of the coil spring 42 h from the large diametercylinder 1 h side, causing the piston 42 a to be pressed toward thelarge diameter cylinder 1 g side and the coil spring 42 h to becompressed, thereby the coil spring 42 h stores the energizing force toenergize the piston 42 a toward the large diameter cylinder 1 h side.

[0741] Thereafter, when the operation of the compressor 4 is halted, inthe first three-way selector valve 41, the piston 41 a together with theslide shaft 41 d moves toward the small diameter cylinder 1 c side bythe energizing force stored in the coil spring 41 j, thereby the piston41 a is situated at the first position.

[0742] On the other hand, in the second three-way selector valve 42, bythe energizing force stored in the coil spring 42 h, the piston 42 amoves toward the large diameter cylinder 1 h side and is situated at thesecond position, while the slide shaft 42 c and the piston 42 b movetogether with the piston 42 a, thereby the piston 42 b is situated atthe second position.

[0743] Thus, according to the twelfth embodiment, the four-way selectorvalve, which selects the channel of the refrigerant in the refrigeratingcycle A, is constituted by the first three-way selector valve 41 and thesecond three-way selector valve 42, which select a path of therefrigerant upon halting of the operation of the compressor 4 by usingthe energizing force that is stored during the operation of thecompressor 4.

[0744] Therefore, the heating mode, in which the refrigerant dischargedfrom the outlet pipe 5 is supplied to the indoor heat exchanger 9A byway of the pipe 7A of the first three-way selector valve 41, and thecooling mode, in which the refrigerant discharged from the outlet pipe 5is supplied to the outdoor heat exchanger 9B by way of the pipe 8A ofthe first three-way selector valve 41, can be selected by controllingthe number of times of the operation start of the compressor 4 and theselected state can be maintained without using any exclusive powersource such as an electromagnetic solenoid.

[0745] Moreover, according to the twelfth embodiment, since theselection of communication for the outlet pipe 5 of the first three-wayselector valve 41 and the inlet pipe 6 of the second three-way selectorvalve 42 is performed according to a start and halt of the operation ofthe compressor 4, neither power source for an electric drive nor controlby an electric signal for selecting the channel of the refrigerant isneeded, therefore, the channel selector valve according to the twelfthembodiment is advantageous.

[0746] In the following, a channel selector valve according to athirteenth embodiment of the present invention, in which a selectionoperation is performed by a four-way selector valve that uses athree-way selector valve as a pilot valve thereof, will be explainedwith reference to FIG. 33.

[0747]FIG. 33 is a view illustrating a schematic constitution of arefrigerating cycle A employing the channel selector valve according tothe thirteenth embodiment of the present invention, in which the sameabbreviation numerals with those used for the corresponding identicalmembers or parts of the channel selector valve according to the thirdembodiment shown in FIG. 6 are used.

[0748] The channel selector valve according to the thirteenthembodiment, an operational state of which in the heating mode is shownby a sectional view in FIG. 33, comprises a slide-type four-way selectorvalve 43 and a three-way selector valve (corresponding to the pilotvalve) 44 that functions as a pilot valve for the slide-type four-wayselector valve 43.

[0749] The slide-type four-way selector valve 43 is different from thechannel selector valve according to the third embodiment shown in FIG. 6in points that a second piston cylinder 12′ forming a secondpressure-transducing chamber (corresponding to the third pressurechamber) R₅, which faces a pressure-transducing chamber R₂ with puttinga high pressure chamber R₁ therebetween, is provided between a valveseat 11 and a stopper 2 in a reversing valve housing 1, that a secondconnecting shaft 28′ connects a slide valve 27 to the second pistoncylinder 12′, and that the compression spring 13, which energizes apiston cylinder 12 to move from the second position toward the firstposition, is omitted.

[0750] In the slide-type four-way selector valve 43, there are provideda through hole (corresponding to the first equalizing path) 12 ₁ in thepiston cylinder 12 and a second through hole (corresponding to thesecond equalizing path) 12 ₁′ in the second piston cylinder 12′. Thehigh-pressure chamber R₁ always communicates with the secondpressure-transducing chamber R₅ through the second through hole 12 ₁′.

[0751] One end of a channel 14F is connected to an inlet pipe 6 that isconnected to an inlet of the compressor 4, then a valve seat 2 a isformed on the stopper 2 to which one end of a channel 14G is connectedfrom the outside, while a valve seat 3 a is formed on a stopper 3 towhich one end of a channel 14H is connected from the outside.

[0752] In the piston cylinder 12, there is provided a subvalve(correspondong to the first subvalve) 12 ₂, which is apart from thevalve seat 3 a of the stopper 3 when the piston cylinder 12 is at thefirst position as shown in FIG. 33 and communiates the channel 14H tothe pressure-transducing chamber R₂, while in the second piston cylinder12′ there is provided a second subvalve 12 ₂′, which sits on the valveseat 2 a of the stopper 2 when the piston cylinder 12 is at the firstposition as shown in FIG. 33 and makes the channel 14G insulated fromthe second pressure-transducing chamber R₅.

[0753] To the contrary, when the piston cylinder 12 is at the secondposition, that is, the inlet pipe 6 communicates with the pipe 7 througha closed space S1 while the outlet pipe 5 communicates with the pipe 8through a high pressure space S2, the subvalve 12 ₂ sits on the valveseat 3 a of the stopper 3 so as to make the channel 14H insulated fromthe pressure-transducing chamber R₂ while the second subvalve 12 ₂′ isapart from the valve seat 2 a of the stopper 2 so as to communicate thechannel 14G to the second pressure-transducing chamber R₅.

[0754] In the slide-type four-way selector valve 43, the piston cylinder12 and the second piston cylinder 12′ constitute the movable memberdescribed in the claims.

[0755] The three-way selector valve 44 is provided outside of theslide-type four-way selector valve 43 and comprises a housing(corresponding to the second housing) 44 a, to which each end of thechannels 14F, 14G and 14H is connected, and two pistons (correspondingto the selector valve element) 44 b and 44 c, which make the channel 14Fcommunicate with either the channel 14G or the channel 14H by a selectoroperation.

[0756] The housing 44 a has a cylindrical shape, in which a smalldiameter cylinder 1 f is sandwiched by two large diameter cylinders 1 gand 1 h, to which each opposite end of the channels 14H and 14G areconnected, respectively, while the channel 14F is connected to the smalldiameter cylinder 1 f.

[0757] In the housing 44 a, there is provided a slide shaft 44 d movablein a thrust direction, on which stoppers 44 e, 44 f, 44 g and 44 h (forexample, E-rings) are put in the axial direction with leaving a spacetherebetween.

[0758] An outer diameter of each of pistons 44 b and 44 c is formedlarger than an inner diameter of the small diameter cylinder 1 f andsmaller than an inner diameter of the large diameter cylinder 1 g and 1h, the pistons 44 b and 44 c are received in the large diametercylinders 1 g and 1 h, respectively. The pistons 44 b and 44 c areattached to the slide shaft 44 d so that the piston 44 b can slide in anaxial direction of the slide shaft 44 d between the stoppers 44 e and 44f, while the piston 44 c can slide in an axial direction of the slideshaft 44 d between the stoppers 44 g and 44 h.

[0759] A coil spring 44 j, which energizes the slide shaft 44 d towardthe large diameter cylinder 1 h side through the stopper 44 e, isreceived in the large diameter cylinder 1 g, while a coil spring 44 k,which energizes the slide shaft 44 d toward the large diameter cylinder1 g side through the stopper 44 h, is received in the large diametercylinder 1 h. O-rings 44 m and 44 n for sealing are provided between theslide shaft 44 d and the pistons 44 b and 44 c, respectively.

[0760] In the large diameter cylinder 1 g, there is provided aring-shaped stopper 44 p, an inner diameter of which is larger than anouter diameter of the stopper 44 e and smaller than an outer diameter ofthe piston 44 b, while in the large diameter cylinder 1 h, there isprovided a ring-shaped stopper 44 r, an inner diameter of which islarger than an outer diameter of the stopper 44 h and smaller than anouter diameter of the piston 44 c.

[0761] As shown in FIG. 33, in the stopper 44 r there is provided athrough hole 44 t that allows the both sides of the stopper 44 r tocommunicate with each other when the piston 44 c abuts on the stopper 44r, likewise a the stopper 44 p is provided with a through hole 44 s.

[0762] In the three-way selector valve 44 thus constructed, when a forcestronger than an elastic force of the coil spring 44 k is applied to theslide shaft 44 d from the large diameter cylinder 1 g side, the slideshaft 44 d slides toward the large diameter cylinder 1 h side.

[0763] Then, the piston 44 c is pushed by the stopper 44 g to open avalve port 1 m formed by a level difference between the small diametercylinder 1 f and the large diameter cylinder 1 h and moves to the secondposition where the piston 44 c abuts on the stopper 44 r, while thepiston 44 b is pushed by the stopper 44 e to close a valve port 1 kformed by a level difference between the small diameter cylinder 1 f andthe large diameter cylinder 1 g and moves to the second position wherethe piston 44 b is apart from the stopper 44 p, thereby the channel 14Fcommunicates with the channel 14G through the small diameter cylinder 1f, the large diameter cylinder 1 h and the through hole 44 t of thestopper 44 r.

[0764] When the piston 44 b is situated at the second position, the coilspring 44 k is pressed by the stopper 44 h to be compressed, then thecoil spring 44 k is in a state to store an energizing force to slide thestopper 44 h toward the large diameter cylinder 1 g side.

[0765] As to the three-way selector valve 44, in a state shown in FIG.33, if a force applied to the slide shaft 44 d from the large diametercylinder 1 g side is removed, the slide shaft 44 d is pushed by theelastic force of the coil spring 44 k through the stopper 44 h to movetoward the large diameter cylinder 1 g side, thereby the piston 44 ctogether with the slide shaft 44 d closes the valve port 1 m by asliding resistance between the O-ring 44 n and the slide shaft 44 d andmoves to the first position where the piston 44 c is apart from thestopper 44 r.

[0766] While, by a sliding resistance between the O-ring 44 m and theslide shaft 44 d that moves toward the large diameter cylinder 1 g side,the piston 44 b together with the slide shaft 44 d opens the valve port1 k and moves to the first position where the piston 44 b abuts on thestopper 44 p, thereby the channel 14F communicates with the channel 14Hthrough the small diameter cylinder 1 f, the large diameter cylinder 1 gand the through hole 44 s of the stopper 44 p.

[0767] However, in a state that the slide shaft 44 d only has slidedtoward the large diameter cylinder 1 g side by the elastic force of thecoil spring 44 k, the pistons 44 b and 44 c do not move relatively withrespect to the slide shaft 44 d, therefore the piston 44 b abuts on thestopper 44 e to be apart from the stopper 44 f while the piston 44 cabuts on the stopper 44 g to be apart from the stopper 44 h.

[0768] In this state, if a force stronger than the elastic force of thecoil spring 44 j is applied to the slide shaft 44 d from the largediameter cylinder 1 h side, the slide shaft 44 d further moves towardthe large diameter cylinder 1 g side, thereby the coil spring 44 j ispressed by the stopper 44 e to be compressed and is in a state to storethe energizing force to move the stopper 44 e toward the large diametercylinder 1 h side.

[0769] At this time, since the piston 44 c, situated at the firstposition where the puston 44 c closes the valve port 1 m, is controlledto move further toward the large diameter cylinder 1 g side, the stopper44 g that has abutted on the piston 44 c is away from the piston 44 c,while the stopper 44 h that has been away from the piston 44 c abuts onthe piston 44 c.

[0770] Then, in this state, if a force applied to the slide shaft 44 dfrom the large diameter cylinder 1 h side is removed, the slide shaft 44d is pushed by the elastic force of the coil spring 44 j through thestopper 44 e to move toward the large diameter cylinder 1 h side,thereby the piston 44 b together with the slide shaft 44 d closes thevalve port 1 k by a sliding resistance between the O-ring 44 m and theslide shaft 44 d and moves to the second position where the piston 44 bis apart from the stopper 44 p.

[0771] While, by a sliding resistance between the O-ring 44 n and theslide shaft 44 d that moves toward the large diameter cylinder 1 h side,the piston 44 c together with the slide shaft 44 d opens the valve port1 m and moves to the second position where the piston 44 c abuts on thestopper 44 r, thereby the channel 14F communicates with the channel 14Gthrough the small diameter cylinder 1 f, the large diameter cylinder 1 hand the through hole 44 t of the stopper 44 r.

[0772] However, in a state that the slide shaft 44 d only has slidedtoward the large diameter cylinder 1 h side by the elastic force of thecoil spring 44 j, the pistons 44 b and 44 c do not move relatively withrespect to the slide shaft 44 d, therefore the piston 44 b abuts on thestopper 44 f to be apart from the stopper 44 e while the piston 44 cabuts on the stopper 44 h to be apart from the stopper 44 g.

[0773] In this state, if a force stronger than the elastic force of thecoil spring 44 k is applied to the slide shaft 44 d from the largediameter cylinder 1 g side, the slide shaft 44 d further moves towardthe large diameter cylinder 1 h side, thereby the coil spring 44 k ispressed by the stopper 44 h to be compressed and is in a state to storethe energizing force to move the stopper 44 h toward the large diametercylinder 1 g side.

[0774] At this time, since the piston 44 b, situated at the secondposition where the puston 44 b closes the valve port 1 k, is controlledto move further toward the large diameter cylinder 1 h side, the stopper44 f that has abutted on the piston 44 b is away from the piston 44 b,while the stopper 44 e that has been away from the piston 44 b abuts onthe piston 44 b, thereby coming back to the state shown in FIG. 33.

[0775] As to the slide-type four-way selector valve 43, a permanentmagnet M is disposed at an inner bottom of the second piston cylinder12′, then a hall device H is disposed at an outer circumferential bottomof the reversing valve housing 1 near the pipe 8. When the pistoncylinder 12 and the piston cylinder 12′ (the movable member) are at thefirst position, a magnetic field due to the permanent magnet M is notdetected by the hall device H, on the other hand, when the pistoncylinder 12 and the piston cylinder 12′ are at the second position, amagnetic field due to the permanent magnet M is detected by the halldevice H. A signal detected by the hall device H is inputted into adetecting element C3 of a controller C (described later) in FIG. 62, bywhich it is detected whether the piston cylinder 12 and the secondpiston cylinder 12′ are situated at the first position or the secondposition.

[0776] In the following, an operation of the channel selector valveaccording to the thirteenth embodiment constructed as described abovewill be explained.

[0777] When the operation of the compressor 4 is halted, the pistoncylinder 12 and the second piston cylinder 12′ of the slide-typefour-way selector valve 43 keep their positions during an ex-operationof the compressor 4, while the pistons 44 b and 44 c have moved to thesecond position if they were at the first position during anex-operation of the compressor 4, on the other hand the pistons 44 b and44 c have moved to the first position if they were at the secondposition during an ex-operation of the compressor 4.

[0778] As shown in FIG. 33, in a state that the refrigerating cycle A isin the heating mode, if the operation of the compressor 4 is halted, thepiston cylinder 12 of the slide-type four-way selector valve 43 does notmove and stays at the first position shown in FIG. 33, while the pistons44 b and 44 c of the three-way selector valve 44 move from the secondposition shown in FIG. 33 to the first position since the force appliedto the slide shaft 44 d from the large diameter cylinder 1 g is removed.

[0779] Therefore, the small diameter cylinder 1 f of the three-wayselector valve 44, which communicates with the inlet pipe 6 through thechannel 14F, communicates with the large diameter cylinder 1 g throughthe valve port 1 k, which is opened by the piston 44 b situated at thefirst position, while the large diameter cylinder 1 g communicates withthe pressure-transducing chamber R₂ of the slide-type four-way selectorvalve 43 through the valve seat 3 a that is opend by the subvalve 12 ₂and the channel 14H, thereby the inlet pipe 6 communicates with thepressure-transducing chamber R₂ through the three-way selector valve 44.

[0780] In this state, if the compressor 4 starts to operate, the highpressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 4 flows into thehigh pressure space S2 of the slide-type four-way selector valve 43 byway of the outlet pipe 5, then further flows into the indoor heatexchanger 9A through the pipe 7 and then, this refrigerant flows intothe closed space S1 through the throttle 10, the outdoor heat exchanger9B and the pipe 8, then flows back to the inlet of the compressor 4 byway of the inlet pipe 6, thereby the refrigerating cycle A is in theheating mode.

[0781] At this time, since an amount of the refrigerant that can passthrough the through hole 12 ₁ of the piston cylinder 12 is small, anincrement in the pressure of the refrigerant in the pressure-transducingchamber R₂ of the slide-type four-way selector valve 43 upon starting ofthe operation of the compressor 4 is small, therefore a differnce in thepressure between the refrigerant in the pressure-transducing chamber R₂communicating with the inlet pipe 6 through the three-way selector valve44 and the refrigerant in the high pressure space S2 becomes large.

[0782] Therefore, the piston cylinder 12 and the second piston cylinder12′ of the slide-type four-way selector valve 43 move from the firstposition shown in FIG. 33 to the second position, the high pressurerefrigerant that is discharged from the compressor 4 and flowed into thehigh pressure space S2 by way of the outlet pipe 5 flows into theoutdoor heat exchanger 9B through the pipe 8 and then, this refrigerantflows back to the inlet of the compressor 4 by way of the throttle 10,the indoor heat exchanger 9A, the pipe 7, closed space S1 and the inletpipe 6, thereby the refrigerating cycle A is in the cooling mode.

[0783] At this time, in the slide-type four-way selector valve 43,accompanying with that the piston cylinder 12 and the second pistoncylinder 12′ move to the second position, the subvalve 12 ₂ closes thevalve seat 3 a that has been opened while the second subvalve 12 ₂′opens the valve seat 2 a that has been closed, therefore by the highpressure refrigerant flowed from the high pressure space S2 through thethrough hole 12 ₁′ of the second piston cylinder 12′, the refrigerantpressure in the second pressure-transducing chamber R₅ graduallyincreases.

[0784] Then, in the three-way selector valve 44, since the pressure ofthe refrigerant in the large diameter cylinder 1 h that communiates withthe second pressure-transducing chamber R₅ through the valve seat 2 aopened by the second subvalve 12 ₂′ and the channel 14G is higher thanthat in the small diameter cylinder 1 f that communicates with the inletpipe 6 through the channel 14F, due to a difference between the pressureof the refrigerant in the large diameter cylinder 1 g and that in thelarge diameter cylinder 1 h, a force stronger than the elastic force ofthe coil spring 44 j is applied to the slide shaft 44 d from the largediameter cylinder 1 h side.

[0785] Accordingly, the slide shaft 44 d moves toward the large diametercylinder 1 g side, then the coil spring 44 j is compressed and storesthe energizing force to energize the piston 44 c toward the largediameter cylinder 1 h side.

[0786] Thereafter, when the operation of the compressor 4 is halted, inthe three-way selector valve 44, due to the energizing force stored inthe coil spring 44 j, the pistons 44 b and 44 c together with the slideshaft 44 d move toward the large diameter cylinder 1 h side to besituated at the second position, while in the slide-type four-wayselector valve 43, the piston cylinder 12 and the second piston cylinder12′ are kept staying at their second position.

[0787] Then, the small diameter cylinder 1 f of the three-way selectorvalve 44 communicating with the inlet pipe 6 through the channel 14Fcommunicates with the large diameter cylinder 1 h through the valve port1 m that is opend by the piston 44 b situated at the second position.The large diameter cylinder 1 h communicates with the the secondpressure-transducing chamber R₅ of the slide-type four-way selectorvalve 43 through the valve seat 2 a opend by the second subvalve 12 ₂′and the channel 14G, thereby the inlet pipe 6 communicates with thesecond pressure-transducing chamber R₅ through the three-way selectorvalve 44.

[0788] In this state, if the compressor 4 starts to operate, the highpressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 4 flows into thehigh pressure space S2 of the slide-type four-way selector valve 43 byway of the outlet pipe 5, then further flows into the outdoor heatexchanger 9B through the pipe 8 and then, this refrigerant flows intothe closed space S1 through the throttle 10, the indoor heat exchanger9A and the pipe 7, then flows back to the inlet of the compressor 4 byway of the inlet pipe 6, thereby the refrigerating cycle A is in thecooling mode.

[0789] At this time, since an amount of the refrigerant that can passthrough the through hole 12 ₁′ of the second piston cylinder 12′ issmall, an increment in the pressure of the refrigerant in the secondpressure-transducing chamber R₅ of the slide-type four-way selectorvalve 43 upon starting of the operation of the compressor 4 is small,therefore a differnce in the pressure between the refrigerant in thesecond pressure-transducing chamber R₅ communicating with the inlet pipe6 through the three-way selector valve 44 and the refrigerant in thehigh pressure space S2 becomes large.

[0790] Therefore, the piston cylinder 12 and the second piston cylinder12′ of the slide-type four-way selector valve 43 move from the secondposition to the first position shown in FIG. 33, the high pressurerefrigerant that is discharged from the compressor 4 and flowed into thehigh pressure space S2 by way of the outlet pipe 5 flows into the indoorheat exchanger 9A through the pipe 7 and then, this refrigerant flowsback to the inlet of the compressor 4 by way of the throttle 10, theoutdoor heat exchanger 9B, the pipe 8, closed space S1 and the inletpipe 6, thereby the refrigerating cycle A is in the heating mode.

[0791] At this time, in the slide-type four-way selector valve 43,accompanying with that the piston cylinder 12 and the second pistoncylinder 12′ move to the first position, the subvalve 12 ₂ opens thevalve seat 3 a that has been closed while the second subvalve 12 ₂′closes the valve seat 2 a that has been opened, therefore by the highpressure refrigerant flowed from the high pressure space S2 through thethrough hole 12 ₁ of the piston cylinder 12, the refrigerant pressure inthe pressure-transducing chamber R₂ gradually increases.

[0792] Then, in the three-way selector valve 44, since the pressure ofthe refrigerant in the large diameter cylinder 1 g that communiates withthe pressure-transducing chamber R₂ through the valve seat 3 a opened bythe second subvalve 12 ₂ and the channel 14H is higher than that in thesmall diameter cylinder 1 f that communicates with the inlet pipe 6through the channel 14F, due to a difference between the pressure of therefrigerant in the large diameter cylinder 1 g and that in the largediameter cylinder 1 h, a force stronger than the elastic force of thecoil spring 44 k is applied to the slide shaft 44 d from the largediameter cylinder 1 g side.

[0793] Accordingly, the slide shaft 44 d moves toward the large diametercylinder 1 h side, then the coil spring 44 k is compressed and storesthe energizing force to energize the piston 44 b toward the largediameter cylinder 1 g side.

[0794] Thereafter, when the operation of the compressor 4 is halted, inthe three-way selector valve 44, due to the energizing force stored inthe coil spring 44 k, the pistons 44 b and 44 c together with the slideshaft 44 d move toward the large diameter cylinder 1 g side to besituated at the first position, while in the slide-type four-wayselector valve 43, the piston cylinder 12 and the second piston cylinder12′ are kept staying at the first position.

[0795] Thus, according to the thirteenth embodiment, the slide-typefour-way selector valve 43, which makes the piston cylinder 12 and thesecond piston cylinder 12′ select to be either the first position or thesecond position by using a difference between the pressure of therefrigerant in the high pressure space S2 and that in either thepressure-transducing chamber R₂ or the second pressure-transducingchamber R₅, performs its selector operation by using the three-wayselector valve 44, which makes the inlet pipe 6 communicate with eitherthe pressure-transducing chamber R₂ or the second pressure-transducingchamber R₅ by using the energizing force stored during the operation ofthe compressor 4.

[0796] Therefore, the heating mode, in which the refrigerant dischargedfrom the outlet pipe 5 is supplied to the indoor heat exchanger 9A byway of the pipe 7, and the cooling mode, in which the refrigerantdischarged from the outlet pipe 5 is supplied to the outdoor heatexchanger 9B by way of the pipe 8, can be selected by controlling thenumber of times of the operation start of the compressor 4 and theselected state can be maintained without using any exclusive powersource such as an electromagnetic solenoid.

[0797] Moreover, according to the thirteenth embodiment, since theselection of communication for the outlet pipe 5 and the inlet pipe 6 ofthe slide-type four-way selector valve 43 is performed according to astart and halt of the operation of the compressor 4, neither powersource for an electric drive nor control by an electric signal forselecting the channel of the refrigerant is needed, therefore, thechannel selector valve according to the thirteenth embodiment isadvantageous.

[0798] In the thirteenth embodiment described above, the presentinvention is applied to the slide-type four-way selector valve 43, inwhich the through holes 12 ₁ and 12 ₁′ are provided in the pistoncylinder 12 and the second piston cylinder 12′, respectively. Instead,the present invention can also be applied to a slide-type four-wayselector valve, in which no through hole is provided in the pistoncylinder.

[0799] In the following, such a channel selector valve mentioned rightabove according to a fourteenth embodiment of the present invention willbe explained with reference to FIG. 34.

[0800]FIG. 34 is a view illustrating a schematic constitution of arefrigerating cycle A employing the channel selector valve according tothe fourteenth embodiment of the present invention, in which the sameabbreviation numerals with those used for the corresponding identicalmembers or parts of the channel selector valve according to thethirteenth embodiment shown in FIG. 33 are used.

[0801] The channel selector valve according to the fourteenthembodiment, an operational state in the cooling mode of which is shownin FIG. 34 by its sectional view, is different from the channel selectorvalve according to the thirteenth embodiment shown in FIG. 33 in pointsthat the through holes 12 ₁ and 12 ₁′ in the piston cylinder 12 and thesecond piston cylinder 12′, respectively, are omitted in the slide-typefour-way selector valve 43 and that the subvalves 12 ₂ and 12 ₂′ arealso omitted in the slide-type four-way selector valve 43.

[0802] Moreover, the channel selector valve according to the fourteenthembodiment is different from the channel selector valve according to thethirteenth embodiment shown in FIG. 33 in points that a three-wayselector valve (corresponding to the pilot valve) 45, which functions asa pilot valve of the slide-type four-way selector valve 43, is providedinstead of the three-way selector valve 44.

[0803] The three-way selector valve 45 comprises a housing(corresponding to the second housing) 45 a, to which each one end ofchannels 14F, 14G and 14H is connected, and a piston (corresponding tothe selector valve element) 45 r, which makes the channel 14Fcommunicate with either the channel 14G or the channel 14H.

[0804] The housing 45 a has a cylindrical shape, in which a largediameter cylinder 45 b is sandwiched by two small diameter cylinders 45c and 45 d, and a slide shaft 45 e is received in the housing 45 a so asto be movable in a thrust direction.

[0805] In the small diameter cylinder 45 c, there is received a coilspring (corresponding to fourth storing means for storing energizingforce) 45 f, which energizes the slide shaft 45 e toward the smalldiameter cylinder 45 d side, while in the small diameter cylinder 45 d,there is received a coil spring (corresponding to third storing meansfor storing energizing force) 45 g, which energizes the slide shaft 45 etoward the small diameter cylinder 45 c side.

[0806] On a circumferential surface of the slide shaft 45 e, there areformed circular grooves 45 h and 45 j leaving a space therebetween in anaxial direction, then one end surface of the slide shaft 45 ecommunicates with the circular groove 45 h near said one end surfacethrough a channel 45 k formed in the slide shaft 45 e, while an oppositeend surface of the slide shaft 45 e communicates with the circulargroove 45 j near said opposite end surface through a channel 45 m formedin the slide shaft 45 e.

[0807] In addition, between the circular grooves 45 h and 45 j of theslide shaft 45 e, stoppers 45 n and 45 p, such as E-rings, are put onthe slide shaft 45 e leaving a space therebetween in an axial direction.

[0808] An outer diameter of the piston 45 r is formed larger than aninner diameter of the small diameter cylinders 45 c and 45 d and smallerthan an inner diameter of the large diameter cylinder 45 b. The piston45 r is received in the large diameter cylinder 45 b and attached to theslide shaft 45 e so that the piston 45 r can slide in an axial directionof the slide shaft 45 e between the stoppers 45 n and 45 p.

[0809] Between the piston 45 r and the slide shaft 45 e, there isprovided an O-ring 45 s for sealing.

[0810] Each opposite end of the channels 14G and 14H is connected to therespective small diameter cylinders 45 c and 45 d of the housing 45 a sothat each opening of the channels 14G and 14H faces the respective endsurfaces of the slide shaft 45 e, in addition, each opposite end of thechannel 14F that is branched off into two ways is connected to therespective small diameter cylinders 45 c and 45 d of the housing 45 a sothat each opening of the branched channels faces the circumferentialsurface of the slide shaft 45 e, while an outlet pipe 5 of theslide-type four-way selector valve 43 is connected to the large diametercylinder 45 b through the channel 14J.

[0811] In the three-way selector valve 45 thus constructed, as shown inFIG. 34, when a force stronger than an elastic force by a coil spring 45g is applied to an end surface of the slide shaft 45 e at the smalldiameter cylinder 45 c side, the slide shaft 45 e moves toward the smalldiameter cylinder 45 d side.

[0812] Then, the piston 45 r is pushed by the stopper 45 n to close avalve port 45 v formed by a level difference between the small diametercylinder 45 d and the large diameter cylinder 45 b and moves to thesecond position where the piston 45 r opens a valve port 45 t formed bya level difference between the small diameter cylinder 45 c and thelarge diameter cylinder 45 b, thereby the channel 14J communicates withthe channel 14H through the large diameter cylinder 45 b, the valve port45 t and the small diameter cylinder 45 c.

[0813] When the piston 45 r is at the second position, the opening ofthe channel 14F connected to the small diameter cylinder 45 c is closedby the circumferential surface of the slide shaft 45 e, thereby thechannel 14F connected to the small diameter cylinder 45 c is insulatedfrom the channel 14H, while the opening of the channel 14F connected tothe small diameter cylinder 45 d faces the circular groove 45 j of theslide shaft 45 e, thereby the channel 14F connected to the smalldiameter cylinder 45 d communicates with the channel 14G through thecircular groove 45 j and the channel 45 m.

[0814] When the piston 45 r is at the second position, the coil spring45 g is pushed by the end surface of the slide shaft 45 e at the smalldiameter cylinder 45 d side to be compressed and is in a state to storean enrgizing force to move the slide shaft 45 e toward the smalldiameter cylinder 45 c side.

[0815] In a state of the three-way selector valve 45 shown in FIG. 34,when the force applied to the end surface of the slide shaft 45 e at thesmall diameter cylinder 45 c side is removed, the slide shaft 45 e ispressed by the elastic force of the coil spring 45 g and moves towardthe small diameter cylinder 45 c side.

[0816] Then, by a sliding resistance between the O-ring 45 s and theslide shaft 45 e, the piston 45 r together with the slide shaft 45 emoves to the first position where the piston 45 r opens the valve port45 v and closes the valve port 45 t, thereby the channel 14Jcommunicates with the channel 14G through the large diameter cylinder 45b, the valve port 45 v and the small diameter cylinder 45 d.

[0817] When the piston 45 r is at the first position, the opening of thechannel 14F connected to the small diameter cylinder 45 c faces thecircular groove 45 h of the slide shaft 45 e, thereby the channel 14Fconnected to the small diameter cylinder 45 c communicates with thechannel 14H through the circular groove 45 h and the channel 45 k, whilethe opening of the channel 14F connected to the small diameter cylinder45 d is closed by the circumferential surface of the slide shaft 45 e,thereby the channel 14F connected to the small diameter cylinder 45 d isinsulated from the channel 14G.

[0818] However, in a state that the slide shaft 45 e only has slidedtoward the small diameter cylinder 45 c side by the elastic force of thecoil spring 45 g, the piston 45 r does not move relatively with respectto the slide shaft 45 e, therefore the piston 45 r abuts on the stopper45 n to be apart from the stopper 45 p while the coil spring 45 f in thesmall diameter cylinder 45 c is extended.

[0819] Then, in this state, if a force stronger than the elastic forceby the coil spring 45 f is applied to the end surface of the slide shaft45 e at the small diameter cylinder 45 d side, only the slide shaft 45 efurther moves toward the small diameter cylinder 45 c side until thestopper 45 p abuts on the piston 45 r, thereby the stopper 45 n is awayfrom the piston 45 r toward the small diameter cylinder 45 c side.

[0820] Then, the coil spring 45 f is pushed by the end surface of theslide shaft 45 e at the small diameter cylinder 45 c side to becompressed and is in a state to store an enrgizing force to move theslide shaft 45 e toward the small diameter cylinder 45 d side.

[0821] In this state, if the force that has been applied to the endsurface of the slide shaft 45 e at the small diameter cylinder 45 d sideis removed, the slide shaft 45 e moves toward the small diametercylinder 45 d side by the elastic force of the coil spring 45 f.

[0822] Then, by a sliding resistance between the O-ring 45 s and theslide shaft 45 e, the piston 45 r together with the slide shaft 45 emoves to the second position where the piston 45 r closes the valve port45 v and opens the valve port 45 t, thereby the channel 14J communicateswith the channel 14H through the large diameter cylinder 45 b, the valveport 45 t and the small diameter cylinder 45 c.

[0823] When the piston 45 r is at the second position, the opening ofthe channel 14F connected to the small diameter cylinder 45 c is closedby the circumferential surface of the slide shaft 45 e, thereby thechannel 14F connected to the small diameter cylinder 45 c is insulatedfrom the channel 14H, while the opening of the channel 14F connected tothe small diameter cylinder 45 d faces the circular groove 45 j of theslide shaft 45 e, thereby the channel 14F connected to the smalldiameter cylinder 45 d communicates with the channel 14G through thecircular groove 45 j and the channel 45 m.

[0824] However, in a state that the slide shaft 45 e only has slidedtoward the small diameter cylinder 45 d side by the elastic force of thecoil spring 45 f, the piston 45 r does not move relatively with respectto the slide shaft 45 e, therefore the piston 45 r abuts on the stopper45 p to be apart from the stopper 45 n while the coil spring 45 g in thesmall diameter cylinder 45 d is extended.

[0825] Then, in this state, if a force stronger than the elastic forceby the coil spring 45 g is applied to the end surface of the slide shaft45 e at the small diameter cylinder 45 c side, only the slide shaft 45 efurther moves toward the small diameter cylinder 45 d side until thestopper 45 n abuts on the piston 45 r, thereby the stopper 45 p is awayfrom the piston 45 r toward the small diameter cylinder 45 d side.

[0826] Then, the coil spring 45 g is pushed by the end surface of theslide shaft 45 e at the small diameter cylinder 45 d side to becompressed and comes back to the state to store an enrgizing force tomove the slide shaft 45 e toward the small diameter cylinder 45 c sideas shown in FIG. 34.

[0827] In the following, an operation of the channel selector valveaccording to the fourteenth embodiment constructed as described abovewill be explained.

[0828] When the operation of the compressor 4 is halted, the pistoncylinder 12 and the second piston cylinder 12′ of the slide-typefour-way selector valve 43 keep their positions during an ex-operationof the compressor 4, while the piston 45 r of the three-way selectorvalve 45 has moved to the second position if it was at the firstposition during an ex-operation of the compressor 4, on the other handthe piston 45 r has moved to the first position if it was at the secondposition during an ex-operation of the compressor 4.

[0829] As shown in FIG. 34, in a state that the refrigerating cycle A isin the heating mode, if the operation of the compressor 4 is halted, thepiston cylinders 12 and the second piston cylinder 12′ of the slide-typefour-way selector valve 43 do not move and stays at the first positionshown in FIG. 34, while the piston 45 r of the three-way selector valve45 move from the second position shown in FIG. 34 to the first positionsince the force applied to the end surface of the slide shaft 45 e atthe small diameter cylinder 45 c side is removed.

[0830] Therefore, the small diameter cylinder 45 d of the three-wayselector valve 45, which communicates with the secondpressure-transducing chamber R₅ of the slide-type four-way selectorvalve 43 through the channel 14G, communicates with the large diametercylinder 45 b through the valve port 45 v that is opened by the piston45 r situated at the first position, then the large diameter cylinder 45b communicates with the outlet pipe 5 through the channel 14J, therebythe outlet pipe 5 communicates with the second pressure-transducingchamber R₅ through the three-way selector valve 45.

[0831] Then, the small diameter cylinder 45 c of the three-way selectorvalve 45, which communicates with the pressure-transducing chamber R₂ ofthe slide-type four-way selector valve 43 through the channe 14H,communicates with the inlet pipe 6 through the channel 45 k, thecircular groove 45 h and the channel 14F, thereby the inlet pipe 6communicates with the pressure-transducing chamber R₂ through thethree-way selector valve 45.

[0832] In this state, when the compressor 4 starts to operate, a highpressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 4 flows into thelarge diameter cylinder 45 b of the three-way selector valve 45 throughthe outlet pipe 5 and the channel 14J, thereby a difference between thepressure of the refrigerant in the small diameter cylinder 45 c thatcommunicates with the channel 14F through the channel 45 k and thecircular groove 45 h and the pressure of high pressure refrigerant inthe large diameter cylinder 45 b becomes large.

[0833] Thereby, the coil spring 45 f is pushed by the end surface of theslide shaft 45 e at the small diameter cylinder 45 c side to becompressed, then the coil spring 45 f stores an energizing force toslide the slide shaft 45 e toward the small diameter cylinder 45 d side.

[0834] Moreover, since the outlet pipe 5 communicates with the secondpressure-transducing chamber R₅ through the three-way selector valve 45,the pressure of the refrigerant in the second pressure-transducingchamber R₅ increases so as to become equal to that in the high pressurespace S2, while, since the inlet pipe 6 communicates with thepressure-transducing chamber R₂ through the three-way selector valve 45,the pressure of the refrigerant in the pressure-transducing chamber R₂decreases to increase its difference from the pressure of therefrigerant in the high pressure space S2.

[0835] Therefore, the piston cylinder 12 and the second piston cylinder12′ of the slide-type four-way selector valve 43 move from the firstposition shown in FIG. 34 to the second position, then the high pressurerefrigerant, which is discharged from the compressor 4 and flowed intothe high pressure space S2 through the outlet pipe 5, flows into theoutdoor heat exchanger 9B from the pipe 8, then this refrigerant furtherflows into the closed space S1 by way of the throttle 10, the indoorheat exchanger 9A and the pipe 7 and then, comes back to the inlet ofthe compressor 4 through the inlet pipe 6, thereby the refrigeratingcycle A is in the cooling mode.

[0836] Thereafter, when the operation of the compressor 4 is halted, inthe three-way selector valve 45, by the energizing force stored in thecoil spring 45 f, the piston 45 r together with the slide shaft 45 emoves toward the small diameter cylinder 45 d side to be situated at thesecond position, while in the slide-type four-way selector valve 43, thepiston cylinder 12 and the second piston cylinder 12′ are kept stayingat the second position.

[0837] Therefore, the small diameter cylinder 45 c of the three-wayselector valve 45, which communicates with the pressure-transducingchamber R₂ of the slide-type four-way selector valve 43 through thechannel 14H, communicates with the large diameter cylinder 45 b throughthe valve port 45 t that is opened by the piston 45 r situated at thesecond position, then the large diameter cylinder 45 b communicates withthe outlet pipe 5 through the channel 14J, thereby the outlet pipe 5communicates with the pressure-transducing chamber R₂ through thethree-way selector valve 45.

[0838] Then, the small diameter cylinder 45 d of the three-way selectorvalve 45, which communicates with the second pressure-transducingchamber R₅ of the slide-type four-way selector valve 43 through thechanne 14G, communicates with the inlet pipe 6 through the channel 45 m,the circular groove 45 j and the channel 14F, thereby the inlet pipe 6communicates with the second pressure-transducing chamber R₅ through thethree-way selector valve 45.

[0839] In this state, when the compressor 4 starts to operate, a highpressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 4 flows into thelarge diameter cylinder 45 b of the three-way selector valve 45 throughthe outlet pipe 5 and the channel 14J, thereby a difference between thepressure of the refrigerant in the small diameter cylinder 45 d thatcommunicates with the channel 14F through the channel 45 m and thecircular groove 45 j and the pressure of high pressure refrigerant inthe large diameter cylinder 45 b becomes large.

[0840] Thereby, the coil spring 45 g is pushed by the end surface of theslide shaft 45 e at the small diameter cylinder 45 d side to becompressed, then the coil spring 45 g stores an energizing force toslide the slide shaft 45 e toward the small diameter cylinder 45 c side.

[0841] Moreover, since the outlet pipe 5 communicates with thepressure-transducing chamber R₂ through the three-way selector valve 45,the pressure of the refrigerant in the pressure-transducing chamber R₂increases so as to become equal to that in the high pressure space S2,while, since the inlet pipe 6 communicates with the secondpressure-transducing chamber R₅ through the three-way selector valve 45,the pressure of the refrigerant in the second pressure-transducingchamber R₅ decreases to increase its difference from the pressure of therefrigerant in the high pressure space S2.

[0842] Therefore, the piston cylinder 12 and the second piston cylinder12′ of the slide-type four-way selector valve 43 move from the secondposition to the first position shown in FIG. 34, then the high pressurerefrigerant, which is discharged from the compressor 4 and flowed intothe high pressure space S2 through the outlet pipe 5, flows into theindoor heat exchanger 9A from the pipe 7, then this refrigerant furtherflows into the closed space S1 by way of the throttle 10, the outdoorheat exchanger 9B and the pipe 8 and then, comes back to the inlet ofthe compressor 4 through the inlet pipe 6, thereby the refrigeratingcycle A is in the heating mode.

[0843] Thereafter, when the operation of the compressor 4 is halted, inthe three-way selector valve 45, by the energizing force stored in thecoil spring 45 g, the piston 45 r together with the slide shaft 45 emoves toward the small diameter cylinder 45 c side to be situated at thefirst position, while in the slide-type four-way selector valve 43, thepiston cylinder 12 and the second piston cylinder 12′ are kept stayingat the first position.

[0844] The channel selector valve according to the fourteenth embodimentconstracted as described above gives a similar effect with that of thechannel selector valve according to the thirteenth embodiment.

[0845] In the aforementioned embodiments from the first to thefourteenth embodiment, a channel selector valve constructed by employinga three-way selector valve and a slide-type four-way selector valve hasbeen explained. In the following, an embodiment, in which the presentinvention is applied to a rotary channel selector valve that performsits channel selector operation by rotation of a main valve element in avalve housing will be explained.

[0846] In the following, a schematic constitution of a refrigeratingcycle A employing a rotary channel selector valve will be explained withreference to FIG. 35, in which the same abbreviation numerals with thoseused for the corresponding identical members or parts of the channelselector valve according to the thirteenth embodiment shown in FIG. 33are used.

[0847] In FIG. 35, a channel of the refrigerant in the cooling mode isshown by solid lines while that in the heating mode is shown by brokenlines. In this refrigerating cycle A, a place where the high pressurerefrigerant discharged from the compressor 4 is guided to and a placewhere the refrigerant to be sucked by the compressor 4 by way of anaccumulator 200 is guided from are mutually selected out of the indoorheat exchanger 9A and the outdoor heat exchanger 9B by a rotary four-wayselector valve 50, and an electrically-driven expansion valve 10A isprovided between the indoor heat exchanger 9A and the outdoor heatexchanger 9B. Pressure sensors Pc and Pc′ are disposed at the indoorheat exchanger 9A and the outdoor heat exchanger 9B, respectively, todetect each pressure, thereby a position of the movable member can bedetected. These pressure sensors may be disposed at a channel near therotary four-way selector valve 50.

[0848] In the following, a channel selector valve according to afifteenth embodiment of the present invention, which can be used as therotary four-way selector valve 50 shown in FIG. 35, will be explainedwith reference to FIGS. 36 to 45.

[0849]FIG. 36 is a sectional view of the channel selector valve 51according to a fifteenth embodiment of the present invention, in which acolumnar main valve element 55 is received in a cylindrical valvehousing 53 rotatively and movable in a direction of a rotation axis, anopen end of the valve housing 53 is closed by a valve seat 57, and acoil spring 59 that energizes the main valve element 55 to be apart fromthe valve seat 57 is received in the valve housing 53.

[0850] In detail, the valve housing 53 consists of an outer housing 53 aand two inner housings 53 b and 53 c upper and lower, out of which theouter housing 53 a has a cylindrical shape with one end open and anopposite end closed, the opposite end of the outer housing 53 a isconnected to the outlet pipe 5.

[0851] The inner housings 53 b and 53 c have a cyrindrical shape and anouter diameter so as to be received inside of the outer housing 53 a. Asshown in FIG. 37, at one end of the upper inner housing 53 b, a firstinclined end surface 53 d and a second inclined end surface 53 e areformed two for each alternately in a circumferential direction of theupper inner housing 53 b such that a peak and a valley are continuedwith a cycle of 90°, while at one end of the second inclined end surface53 e, which constitutes the valley in combination with one end of thefirst inclined end surface 53 d, there is formed a groove 53 f extendingin an axial direction of the upper inner housing 53 b.

[0852] As shown in FIG. 38, the lower inner housing 53 c is constitutedup and down symmetrical with respect to the upper inner housing 53 b.

[0853] Then, as shown in FIG. 39, the upper and lower inner housings 53b and 53 c are received in the outer housing 53 a on a condition thatthe ends of them are faced with each other so that the peak fits withthe valley.

[0854] Then, as shown in FIG. 39, a first cam groove 53 g is formedbetween the first inclined end surface 53 d of the upper inner housing53 b and the second inclined end surface 53 e of the lower inner housing53 c, likewise a second cam groove 53 h is formed between the secondinclined end surface 53 e of the upper inner housing 53 b and the firstinclined end surface 53 d of the lower inner housing 53 c.

[0855] Therefore, as shown in FIG. 36, when the upper and lower innerhousings 53 b and 53 c are received in the outer housing 53 a toconstitute the valve housing 53, a cam groove 53 j, consisting of thefirst and second cam grooves 53 g and 53 h and the groove 53 f, isformed on an inner circumferential surface of the valve housing 53.

[0856] As shown in FIG. 40, in the valve seat 57, there are formed afirst selector port 57 a to which the pipe 7 is connected from thebottom side and a second selector port 57 b to which the pipe 8 isconnected from the bottom side, at positions facing with each othersandwiching a center of the valve seat 57, in addition, two ports 57 cof the low pressure side are formed at positions shifted by a phase of90° in a circumferential direction of the valve seat 57 from the firstand second selector ports 57 a and 57 b, then each of two ports 57 c ofthe low pressure side are connected to a respective pipe out of twopipes, which are formed by branching the inlet pipe 6, from the bottomside of the valve seat 57.

[0857] As shown in FIG. 40, a ring-shape groove 57 e is formed near aperiphery of the valve seat 57, into which an end of the coil spring 59is inserted, then in this ring-shape groove 57 e, there is received athrust bearing (corresponding to slide means) 58 to prevent a pinchbetween one end of the coil spring 59 and the bottom of the ring-shapegroove 57 e from occurring and to smooth a rotation of the main valveelement 55 with respect to the valve housing 53, when an opposite end ofthe coil spring 59 adheres to the main valve element 55 and rotatestogether with the main valve element 55.

[0858] As shown in FIG. 41, the main valve element 55 is provided with alow-pressure side communication groove 55 a and a high-pressure sidecommunication channel 55 b.

[0859] The low pressure side communication groove 55 a is formed to beopened at an end surface of the main valve element 55 at the valve seat57 side, and when said end surface abuts on the alve seat 57, at a firstrotation position of the main valve element 55, the first selector port57 a and the two ports 57 c of the low pressure side communicate witheach other by the low pressure side communication groove 55 a, while ata second rotation position of the main valve element 55, the secondselector port 57 b and the two ports 57 c of the low pressure sidecommunicate with each other by the low pressure side communicationgroove 55 a.

[0860] As shown in FIG. 36, the high pressure side communication channel55 b has a chamber 55 d, which is opened at an opposite end to the valveseat 57 side of the main valve element 55 through the valve port 55 c,and an inner channel 55 e shown in FIG. 41, then this inner channel 55 eis opened at an end surface of the main valve element 55 at the valveseat 57 side keeping away from the low pressure side communicationgroove 55 a and communicates with the chamber 55 d in the main valveelement 55.

[0861] As shown in FIG. 36, a shaft 55 f is inserted into the center ofthe main valve element 55 to be movable in an axial direction, and whenthe valve element 55 is apart from the valve seat 57, an assistant valveelement 55 g attached to an end of the shaft 55 f at the valve port 55 cside closes the valve port 55 c to make the high pressure sidecommunication channel 55 b be isolated, then an end of the shaft 55 fabuts on the valve seat 57 allowing the assistant valve element 55 g toopen the valve port 55 c when the main valve element 55 is seated on thevalve seat 57, as shown in FIGS. 42 and 43, thereby the high pressureside communication channel 55 b is in an opened state.

[0862] There are provided each guide pin (corresponding to cam followerpins) 55 h at a circumferential surface position and a position shiftedby a phase of 180° therefrom of the main valve element 55. As shown inFIG. 36, these guide pins 55 h are inserted into the cam groove 53 junder a condition that the main valve element 55 is received in thevalve housing 53.

[0863] In the following, an operation of the channel selector valve 51according to the fifteenth embodiment constructed as described abovewill be explained.

[0864] When the operation of the compressor 4 is halted, as shown inFIG. 36, the main valve element 55 is apart from the valve seat 57 dueto the energizing force of the coil spring 59, then the assistant valveelement 55 g closes the valve port 55 c, while the two guide pins 55 hof the main valve element 55 are situated at the groove 53 f of theupper inner housing 53 b, at which divisions of 90° and 270° are shownin FIG. 44, i.e. at which the cam groove 53 j of the cam housing 53 isthe farthest apart from the valve seat 57.

[0865] In FIG. 44, the divisions of angle indicate a rotational positionof the guide pin 55 h in the cam groove 53 j.

[0866] In the refrigerating cycle A is in the heating mode, when theoperation of the compressor 4 is halted and each guide pin 55 h issituated at the groove 53 f of the upper inner housing 53 b where thedivisions of 90° or 270° are shown in FIG. 44, as shown in a figure atthe right end of FIG. 45, the low pressure side communication groove 55a of the main valve element 55 faces the first and second selector ports57 a and 57 b, respectively, of the valve seat 57.

[0867] In this state, when the compressor 4 starts to operate, since theassistant valve element 55 g closes the valve port 55 c, the highpressure refrigerant flowed into the valve housing 53 from thecompressor 4 acts so as to move the main valve element 55 toward thevalve seat 57 side against the energizing force of the coil spring 59.

[0868] Then, each guide pin 55 h situated at the groove 53 f of 90° (or270°) of the upper inner housing 53 b moves on the second cam groove 53h along the first inclined end surface 53 d of the lower inner housing53 c, then is situated at the groove 53 f of the lower inner housing 53c, at which the angle divisions of 180° (or 0°) is shown in FIG. 44.

[0869] Then, as each guide pin 55 h moves on the second cam groove 53 h,the main valve element 55 moves toward the valve seat 57 side withrotating, and when rotates by 90°, as shown in FIG. 42, the main valveelement 55 sits down on the valve seat 57 to reach the first position,thereby an end of the shaft 55 f abuts on the valve seat 57 allowing theassistant valve element 55 g to open the valve port 55 c.

[0870] In this situation, as shown in a figure at left end of FIG. 45,the low pressure side communication groove 55 a faces the first selectorport 57 a and the two low pressure side ports 57 c, while the innerchannel 55 e faces the second selector port 57 b.

[0871] Therefore, as shown in FIG. 42, the outlet pipe 5 communicateswith the pipe 8 through the high pressure side communication channel 55b and the second selector port 57 b, while the inlet pipe 6 communicateswith the pipe 7 through the low pressure side communication groove 55 aand the two low pressure side ports 57 c.

[0872] Consequently, the high pressure refrigerant from the compressor 4flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 9B from the pipe 8 by way of theoutlet pipe 5, high pressure side communication channel 55 b and thesecond selector port 57 b, then passes through the throttle 10, theindoor heat exchanger 9A, pipe 7, the first selector port 57 a, the lowpressure side communication groove 55 a, the two low pressure side ports57 c and the inlet pipe 6, and finally comes back to the inlet of thecompressor 4, thereby the refrigerating cycle A is in the cooling mode.

[0873] Thereafter, when the operation of the compressor 4 is halted, thepressure of the refrigerant flowed into the valve housing 53 decreases,thereby the energizing force of the coil spring 59 acts to move the mainvalve element 55 being away from the valve seat 57.

[0874] Then, each guide pin 55 h situated at the groobe 53 f of 180° (or0°) of the lower inner housing 53 moves on the first cam groove 53 galong the first inclined end surface 53 d of the upper inner housing 53b, then is situated at the groove 53 f of 270° (or 90°) of the upperinner housing 53 b.

[0875] Then, as each guide pin 55 h moves on the first cam groove 53 g,the main valve element 55 moves toward the outlet pipe 5 side withrotating in the valve housing 53, and when rotates by 90°, the mainvalve element 55 reaches a first intermediate position where the mainvalve element is the farthest away from the valve seat 57, thereby theassistant valve element 55 g of the shaft 55 f, an end of which is apartfrom the valve seat 57, closes the valve port 55 c.

[0876] In this situation, as shown in the second figure from the left ofFIG. 45, the low-pressure side communication groove 55 a faces the firstand second selector ports 57 a and 57 b, respectively.

[0877] In this state, when the compressor 4 starts to operate, eachguide pin 55 h situated at the groove 53 f of 270° (or 90°) of the upperinner housing 53 b moves on the second cam groove 53 h, then is situatedat the groove 53 f of 0° (or 180°) of the lower inner housing 53 c.

[0878] Then, as each guide pin 55 h moves on the second cam groove 53 h,the main valve element 55 moves toward the valve seat 57 side withrotating in the valve housing 53, and when rotates by 90°, as shown inFIG. 43, the main valve element 55 sits down on the valve seat 57 toreach the second position, thereby an end of the shaft 55 f abuts on thevalve seat 57 allowing the assistant valve element 55 g to open thevalve port 55 c.

[0879] In this situation, as shown in a second figure from the right endof FIG. 45, the low pressure side communication groove 55 a faces thesecond selector port 57 b and the two low pressure side ports 57 c,while the inner channel 55 e faces the first selector port 57 a.

[0880] Therefore, as shown in FIG. 43, the outlet pipe 5 communicateswith the pipe 7 through the high pressure side communication channel 55b and the first selector port 57 a, while the inlet pipe 6 communicateswith the pipe 8 through the second selector port 57 b, the low pressureside communication groove 55 a and the two low pressure side ports 57 c.

[0881] Consequently, the high pressure refrigerant from the compressor 4flows into the indoor heat exchanger 9A from the pipe 7 by way of theoutlet pipe 5, high pressure side communication channel 55 b and thefirst selector port 57 a, then passes through the throttle 10, theoutdoor heat exchanger 9B, pipe 8, the second selector port 57 b, thelow pressure side communication groove 55 a, the two low pressure sideports 57 c and the inlet pipe 6, and finally comes back to the inlet ofthe compressor 4, thereby the refrigerating cycle A is in the heatingmode.

[0882] Thereafter, when the operation of the compressor 4 is halted, thepressure of the refrigerant flowed into the valve housing 53 decreases,thereby the energizing force of the coil spring 59 acts to move eachguide pin 55 h, situated at the groove 53 f of 0° (or 180°) of the lowerinner housing 53 c, on the first cam groove 53 g so as to be situated atthe groove 53 f of 90° (or 270°) of the upper inner housing 53 b.

[0883] Then, as each guide pin 55 h moves on the first cam groove 53 g,the main valve element 55 moves toward the outlet pipe 5 side withrotating in the valve housing 53, and when rotates by 90°, as shown inFIG. 36, the main valve element 55 reaches a second intermediateposition where the main valve element 55 is the farthest away from thevalve seat 57, thereby the assistant valve element 55 g of the shaft 55f, an end of which is apart from the valve seat 57, closes the valveport 55 c.

[0884] Thereby, as shown in a figure at the right end of FIG. 45, thesystem comes back to an initial state, in which the low pressurecommunication groove 55 a faces the first and second valve ports 57 aand 57 b, respectively.

[0885] Thus according to the channel selector valve 51 of the fifteenthembodiment, by using a differential pressure generated due to therefrigerant flow discharged from the compressor 4 and the energizingforce due to the coil spring 59 disposed between the main valve element55 and the valve seat 57, the main valve element 55 is moved in thedirection nearer to or away from the valve seat 57, while each guide pin55 h is moved along the cam groove 53 j and the main valve element 55 isallowed to rotate with respect to the valve housing 53, theteby the mainvalve element 55 is moved between the first and second positions.

[0886] Therefore, a place, with which the outlet pipe 5 or the inletpipe 6 communicates is selected through the low pressure sidecommunication groove 55 a and the high pressure side communicationchannel 55 b, is selected between either the first selector port 57 a orthe second selector port 57 b of the valve seat 57, thereby the heatingmode, in which the refrigerant discharged from the outlet pipe 5 issupplied to the indoor heat exchanger 9A by way of the pipe 7, and thecooling mode, in which the refrigerant discharged from the outlet pipe 5is supplied to the outdoor heat exchanger 9B by way of the pipe 8, canbe selected by starting and halting the operation of the compressor 4,and the selected state can be maintained without using any exclusivepower source such as an electromagnetic solenoid.

[0887] Moreover, according to the fifteenth embodiment, since theselection of communication for the outlet pipe 5 and the inlet pipe 6 inthe channel selector valve 51 is performed according to a start and haltof the operation of the compressor 4, neither power source for anelectric drive nor control by an electric signal for selecting thechannel of the refrigerant is needed, therefore, the channel selectorvalve 51 according to the fifteenth embodiment is advantageous.

[0888] In addition, in the channel selector valve 51 according to thefifteenth embodiment, the groove 53 f of the cam groove 53 j formed inthe valve housing 53 is provided not at a junction between an end of thefirst inclined end surface 53 d and an end of the second inclined endsurface 53 e but at the end of the second inclined end surface 53 e,thereby the channel selector valve 51 has an advantage as follows.

[0889] That is, when the main valve element 55 moves in the directionnearer to or away from the valve seat 57, each guide pin 55 h, which hasmoved from the first inclined end surface 53 d to the groove 53 f, isprevented from coming back to the first inclined end surface 53 d and issecurely moved to the second inclined end surface 53 e, then therotational direction of the main valve element 55 is limited to onedirection, thereby the selection of the modes of the refrigerating cycleA can be securely performed by controlling the number of start and haltof the operation of the compressor 4.

[0890] In the channel selector valve 51 according to the fifteenthembodiment described above, the movement of the main valve element 55 inthe direction away from the valve seat 57 is performed by the energizingforce of the coil spring 59 disposed between the main valve element 55and the valve seat 57. Instead, like a channel selector valve 61according to a sixtennth embodiment of the present invention shown inFIG. 46, a position of the valve housing 53 may be set upside down suchthat the outlet pipe 5 is situated below in a vertical direction, thenthe movement of the main valve element 55 in the direction away from thevalve seat 57 may be performed by an own weight of the main valveelement 55.

[0891] If the channel selector valve 61 is constructed as describedabove, the assistant valve element 55 g opens the valve port 55 c by anown weight of the shaft 55 f even if the main valve element 57 does notsit down on the valve seat 57, after the high pressure refrigerantdischarged from the compressor 4 flows into the valve housing 53 throughthe outlet pipe 5 upon the start of the operation of the compressor 4,the assistant valve element 55 g opens the valve port 55 c against theown weight of the shaft 55 f, by the pressure of the high pressurerefrigerant flowed into the valve housing 53, until the main valveelement 55 sits down on the valve seat 57.

[0892] The channel selector valve 61 according to the sixteenthembodiment constracted as described above gives a similar effect withthat of the channel selector valve 51 according to the fifteenthembodiment. Moreover, in the channel selector valve 61 according to thesixteenth embodiment, since the movement of the main valve element 55 inthe direction away from the valve seat 57 is performed by an own weightof the main valve element 55, the coil spring 59 can be omitted,resulting in a reduction of the cost of the channel selector valve.

[0893] As shown in FIG. 47, in a channel selector valve 71 according tothe seventeenth embodiment of the present invention, the coil spring 59provided between the main valve element 55 and the valve seat 57, whichis employed in the channel selector valve 51 according to the fifteenthembodiment shown in FIG. 36, is replaced by a second coil spring 73provided between the main valve element 55 and an closed end of theouter housing 53 a, to which the outlet pipe 5 is connected, thereby themain valve element 55 is energized toward the valve seat 57 side by anenergizing force due to the second coil spring 73.

[0894] When the channel selector valve 71 is constructed as describedabove, the movement of the main valve element 55 between the first andthe second positions is performed in such a manner that the compressor4, the outlet of which is connected to the outlet pipe 5, is operated ina direction of inverse rotation so as to decrease the pressure of therefrigerant exsisted in a space between the closed end of the outerhousing 53 a and the main valve element 55, thereby the main valveelement 55 is moved in the direction away from the valve seat 57 againstthe energizing force of the second coil spring 73.

[0895] The channel selector valve 71 according to the seventeenthembodiment constracted as described above gives a similar effect withthat of the channel selector valve 51 according to the fifteenthembodiment. Moreover, in the channel selector valve 71 according to theseventeenth embodiment, since the main valve element 55 moves betweenthe first and the second positions even if the compressor 4 is notrotated in a normal direction, when the refrigerating cycle A isoperated again in the same operational mode with the former mode, nopre-operation of the compressor 4 with the rotation in a normaldirection is needed for a channel selection, i.e. the so-called dummyoperation of the compressor 4 can be omitted, therefore the channelselector valve 71 is advantageous in this respect.

[0896] In the following, a channel selector valve according to aeighteenth embodiment of the present invention, which can be employed asthe rotary four-way selector valve 50 shown in FIG. 35, will beexplained with reference to FIGS. 48 to 53.

[0897]FIG. 48 is a sectional view of a channel selector valve accordingto the eighteenth embodiment of the present invention, in which the sameabbreviation numerals with those used for the corresponding identicalmembers or parts of the channel selector valve 51 according to thefifteenth embodiment shown in FIG. 36 are used.

[0898] The channel selector valve 81 according to the eighteenthembodiment shown in FIG. 48 is different from the channel selector valve51 according to the fifteenth embodiment shown in FIG. 36 in a pointthat a second coil spring 73 is provided between the main valve element55 and an closed end of the outer housing 53 a, to which the outlet pipe5 is connected, so as to energize the main valve element 55 to move inthe direction nearer to the valve seat 57, and except this point thechannel selector valve 81 is constructed similarly to the channelselector valve 51.

[0899] In the channel selector valve 81 according to the eighteenthembodiment constructed as described above, when the operation of thecompressor 4 is halted, the main valve element 55 is situated at anintermediate position in a region of its movement in the directionnearer to or away from the valve seat 57, by a balance between anenergizing force due to the coil spring 59 and that due to the secondcoil spring 73, while each guide pin 55 h is situated at an intermediateposition between the first cam groove 53 g and the second cam groove 53h of the cam groove 53 j as shown in FIGS. 49 and 51.

[0900] Divisions of angle of FIG. 44 indicate a rotational position ofthe guide pin 55 h of the main valve element 55 in the cam groove 53 j.

[0901] When the operation of the compressor 4 is halted after therefrigerating cycle A has been in the cooling mode, and assuming thateach guide pin is situated at an intermediate position of the first camgroove 53 g where is forward by 30° from the groove 53 f of the upperinner housing 53 b at which a division 90° (or 270°) is shown in FIG.49, when the compressor 4 starts to operate, the following steps willtake place.

[0902] That is, since the assistant valve element 55 g closes the valveport 55 c, the high pressure refrigerant flowed into the valve housing53 from the compressor 4 acts to move the main valve element 55 towardthe valve seat 57 side against the energizing force of the coil spring59.

[0903] Then, each guide pin 55 h situated at an intermediate position ofthe first cam groove 53 g moves on the first cam groove 53 g along thesecond inclined end surface 53 e of the lower inner housing 53 c, thenis situated at the groove 53 f of 0° (or 180°) of the lower innerhousing 53 c, while the main valve element 55 sits down on the valveseat 57 to reach the first position as shown in FIG. 50, thereby therefrigerating cycle A is in the cooling mode.

[0904] Thereafter, when the operation of the compressor 4 is halted,since the pressure of the refrigerant flowed into the valve housing 53decreases, the energizing force of the coil spring 59 acts to part themain valve element 55 from the valve seat 57.

[0905] Then, each guide pin 55 h, situated at the groove 53 f of 0°(180°) of the lower inner housing 53 c, moves on the first cam groove 53g along the first inclined end surface 53 d of the upper inner housing53 b and comes back to an intermediate position of the first cam groove53 g shown in FIG. 49, thereby the main valve element 55 comes back tothe intermediate position where the energizing force of the coil spring59 balances with that of the second coil spring 73.

[0906] Thereafter, when the compressor 4 starts to operate again, themain valve element 55 comes back to the first position similarly to theoperation described above, thereby the refrigerating cycle A is in thecooling mode.

[0907] To the contrary, when the compressor 4 is operated in a directionof inverse rotation, the pressure of the refrigerant exsisted in a spacebetween the closed end of the outer housing 53 a and the main valveelement 55 is decreased, thereby the main valve element 55 is moved inthe direction away from the valve seat 57 against the energizing forceof the second coil spring 73.

[0908] Then, each guide pin 55 h situated at an intermediate position ofthe first cam groove 53 g moves on the first cam groove 53 g along thefirst inclined end surface 53 d of the upper inner housing 53 b, then issituated at the groove 53 f of the upper inner housing 53 b where adivision of 90° (or 270°) is shown in FIG. 51.

[0909] While the main valve element 55 reaches a point where is thefarthest away from the valve seat 57 as shown in FIG. 52.

[0910] Thereafter, when the operation of the compressor 4 is halted,since the decrease in the pressure of the refrigerant in the spacebetween the closed end of the outer housing 53 a and the main valveelement 55 becomes zero, the main valve element 55 moves in thedirection nearer to the valve seat 57 by the enegizing force of thesecond coil spring 73.

[0911] Then, each guide pin 55 h situated at the groove 53 f of 90° (or270°) of the upper inner housing 53 b moves on the second cam groove 53h, then is situated at an intermediate position of the second cam groove53 h, at which each guide pin 55 h proceeds by 30° toward the groove 53f of 180° (or 0°) of the lower inner housing 53 c side as shown in FIG.51, thereby the main valve element 55 further rotates by 60° from thestate shown in FIG. 48 so as to reach said intermediate position.

[0912] Thereafter, when the compressor 4 starts to operate again, sincethe assistant valve element 55 g closes the valve port 55 c, the highpressure refrigerant flowed into the valve housing 53 from thecompressor 4 acts to move the main valve element 55 toward the valveseat 57 side aginst the energizing force of the coil spring 59.

[0913] Then, each guide pin 55 h situated at an intermediate position ofthe second cam groove 53 h moves on the second cam groove 53 h along thefirst inclined end surface 53 d of the lower inner housing 53 c, then issituated at the groove 53 f of 180° (or 0°) of the lower inner housing53 c, while the main valve element 55 sits down on the valve seat 57 toreach the second position as shown in FIG. 53, thereby the refrigeratingcycle A is in the heating mode.

[0914] Thereafter, when the operation of the compressor 4 is halted,since the pressure of the refrigerant flowed into the valve housing 53decreases, the energizing force of the coil spring 59 acts to part themain valve element 55 from the valve seat 57.

[0915] Then, each guide pin 55 h, situated at the groove 53 f of 180°(0°) of the lower inner housing 53 c, moves on the first cam groove 53 gand reaches to an intermediate position of the first cam groove 53 g, atwhich each guide pin 55 h proceeds by 60° toward the groove 53 f of 270°(or 90°) of the upper inner housing 53 b side as shown in FIG. 51,thereby the main valve element 55 further rotates by 180° from the stateshown in FIG. 48 so as to reach said intermediate position

[0916] Thereafter, the compressor 4 starts to operate again, by the highpressure refrigerant flowed into the valve housing 53, the main valveelement 55 moves in the direction nearer to the valve seat 57 againstthe energizing force of the coil spring 59.

[0917] Then, each guide pin 55 h situated at an intermediate position ofthe first cam groove 53 g shown in FIG. 51 moves on the first cam groove53 g along the second inclined end surface 53 e of the lower innerhousing 53 c and comes back to the groove 53 f of 180° (or 0°) of thelower inner housing 53 c, while the main valve element 55 comes back tothe second position shown in FIG. 53, thereby the refrigerating cycle Ais in the heating mode.

[0918] To the contrary, when the compressor 4 is operated in a directionof inverse rotation, the pressure of the refrigerant exsisted in a spacebetween the closed end of the outer housing 53 a and the main valveelement 55 is decreased, and the main valve element 55 moves in thedirection away from the valve seat 57 against the energizing force ofthe second coil spring 73, then each guide pin 55 h, which has beensituated at an intermediate position of the first cam groove 53 g shownin FIG. 51, is situated at the groove 53 f of 270° (or 90°) of the upperinner housing 53 b.

[0919] Then, the main valve 55 further rotates by 180° from the stateshown in FIG. 52 and reaches the farthest position from the valve seat57.

[0920] Thereafter, when the operation of the compressor 4 is halted,each guide pin 55 h moves on the second cam groove 53 h from the groove53 f of 270° (or 90°) of the upper inner housing 53 b and is situated atan intermediate position of the second cam groove 53 h, at which eachguide pin 55 h proceeds by 30° toward the groove 53 f of 0° (or 180°) ofthe lower inner housing 53 c side, thereby the main valve element 55further rotates by 240° from the state shown in FIG. 48 and reaches saidintermediate position.

[0921] Then, when the compressor 4 starts to operate again, by the highpressure refrigerant flowed into the valve housing 53, the main valveelement 55 moves in the direction nearer to the valve seat 57 againstthe energizing force of the coil spring 59.

[0922] Then, each guide pin 55 h situated at an intermediate position ofthe second cam groove 53 h moves on the second cam groove 53 h along thefirst inclined end surface 53 d of the lower inner housing 53 c and issituated at the groove 53 f of 0° (or 180°) of the lower inner housing53 c, while the main valve element 55 sits down on the valve seat 57 andreaches the first position as shown in FIG. 50, thereby therefrigerating cycle A is in the cooling mode.

[0923] Thereafter, when the operation of the compressor 4 is halted,since the pressure of the refrigerant flowed into the valve housing 53decreases, the energizing force of the coil spring 59 acts to part themain valve element 55 from the valve seat 57, while each guide pin 55 h,which has been situated at the groove 53 f of 0° (or 180°) of the lowerinner housing 53 c, moves on the first cam groove 53 g and comes back tothe intermediated position of the first cam groove 53 g shown in FIG.49, thereby the main valve element 55 comes back to said intermediateposition shown in FIG. 48.

[0924] The channel selector valve 81 according to the eighteenthembodiment constracted as described above gives a similar effect withthat of the channel selector valve 51 according to the fifteenthembodiment. Moreover, in the channel selector valve 81 according to theeighteenth embodiment, since by using a balance between the energizingforces of the coil spring 59 and the second coil spring 73, the mainvalve element 55 is situated at the intermediate position in a range ofthe movement in the direction nearer to or away from the valve seat 57,thereby no pre-operation of the compressor 4 with the rotation in anormal direction is needed for a channel selection, i.e. the so-calleddummy operation of the refrigerating cycle A can be omitted similarly tothe channel selector valve 71 according to the seventeenth embodiment,therefore the channel selector valve 81 is advantageous in this respect.

[0925] In the aforementioned channel selector valves 51, 61, 71 and 81,each guide pin 55 h of the main valve element 55 is moved along the camgroove 53 j of the housing 53 so that the movement of the main valveelement 55 in the direction nearer to or away from the valve seat 57 istransformed to the rotation of the main valve element 55 in acircumferential direction, instead the arrangement of the guide pin andthe cum groove may be set inversely between the main valve element 55and the valve housing 53.

[0926] A channel selector valve according to a nineteenth embodimentshown in FIG. 54 has such a construction mentioned just above, and inthe channel selector valve 91 according to the nineteenth embodiment, arotating shaft 93 of a main valve element 55 is provided at the centerof a valve seat 57, a cam groove 53 j is formed on the circumferentialsurface of the rotating shaft 93 as shown in FIGS. 55 and 56, then ahollow 55 k (shown in FIG. 57) into which one half of a guide ball 95 isinserted, another half of the guide ball 95 being inserted into the camgroove 53 j, is formed in a shaft hole 55 j of the main valve element 55shown in FIG. 54, into which the rotating shaft 93 is inserted.

[0927] In the channel selector valve 91 according to the nineteenthembodiment, constitutions of a low pressure side communication grooveand a high pressure side communication channel of the main valve element55 are different from those of the channel selector valves 51, 61, 71and 81 according to the fifteenth to eighteenth embodiments,respectively, however the primary part of the channel selector valve 91is the constitution for transforming the movement of the main valveelement 55 in the direction nearer to or away from the valve seat 57 tothe rotation of the main valve element 55 in a circumferential directionand is not a structure of the main valve element 55 for channelselection, therefore an explanation of the structure of the main valveelement 55 will be omitted.

[0928] The channel selector valve 91 according to the nineteenthembodiment constracted as described above gives a similar effect withthat of the channel selector valve 51 according to the fifteenthembodiment.

[0929] In the aforementioned channel selector valves 51, 61, 71, 81 and91 according to the fifteenth to nineteenth embodiments, respectively,the cam groove 53 j is formed over whole circumference of the valvehousing 53 and the rotating shaft 53, instead the cam groove 53 j may beformed on a partial circumference thereof.

[0930] A channel selector valve according to a twentieth embodimentshown in FIG. 58 has such a construction mentioned just above, and thechannel selector valve 101 according to the twentieth embodiment isdifferent from the channel selector valve 51 according to the sixteenthembodiment shown in FIG. 36 in points that each guide pin has arectangular shape in its top view and is attached to the main valveelement 55 to move rotatively and that the cam groove 53 k on the innercircumferential surface of the valve housing 53 is not formed over thewhole circumference of the valve housing 53 but formed devided in twoindependently with each other.

[0931] In the channel selector valve 101 according to the twentiethembodiment, when the main valve element 55 moves in the direction nearerto or away from the valve seat 57, as shown in FIG. 59, each guide pin55 h moves back and forth in a X-shape channel along the cam groove 53 kwith changing its direction properly, thereby the main valve element 55rotatively moves back and forth within the predetermined angles withrespect to the valve housing 53.

[0932] In the channel selector valve 101 according to the twentiethembodiment, constitutions of a low pressure side communication grooveand a high pressure side communication channel of the main valve element55 and constitutions of a port of a valve seat 57 and so on aredifferent from those of the channel selector valves 51, 61, 71, 81 and91 according to the fifteenth to nineteenth embodiments, respectively.

[0933] However the primary part of the channel selector valve 101 is theconstitution for transforming the movement of the main valve element 55in the direction nearer to or away from the valve seat 57 to therotation of the main valve element 55 in a circumferential direction andis not a structure of the main valve element 55 or the valve seat 57 forchannel selection, therefore an explanation of the structure of the mainvalve element 55 and the valve seat 57 will be omitted.

[0934] The channel selector valve 101 according to the twentiethembodiment constructed as described above gives a similar effect withthat of the channel selector valve 51 according to the fifteenthembodiment.

[0935] In the above, preferred embodiments of the channel selector valveaccording to the present invention are explained, then in the following,a preferred embodiment of a compressor with a channel selector valveaccording to the present invention will be explained.

[0936]FIG. 60 is a view illustrating a schematic constitution of arefrigerating cycle employing a compressor with a channel selector valveaccording to a twenty first embodiment of the present invention, inwhich the same abbreviation numerals with those used for thecorresponding identical members or parts of the refrigerating cycleaccording to the fifth embodiment shown in FIG. 9 are used.

[0937] The compressor with a channel selector valve according to atwenty first embodiment, an operation state of which in the heating modeis shown by its sectional view in FIG. 60, is constructed by integratingthe channel selector valve according to the fifth embodiment of thepresent invention shown in FIG. 9 with a compressor body 4A shown inFIG. 60.

[0938] The compressor body 4A comprises: a compressor housing 4 a; a lowpressure chamber 4 b provided in the compressor housing 4 acommunicating with the inlet pipe 6; a high pressure chamber 4 cprovided in the compressor housing 4 a and partitioned from the lowpressure chamber 4 b; and a compressing section 4 d provided in thecompressor housing 4 a, which compresses a refrigerant introduced fromthe inlet pipe 6 into the low pressure chamber 4 b and guides therefrigerant to the high pressure chamber 4 c.

[0939] The compressor body 4A constructed as described above integratesthe compressor housing 4 a part, which partitions the high pressurechamber 4 c of the compressor housing 4 a in the interior thereof, withthe reversing valve housing 1 in the channel selector valve according tothe fifth embodiment and communicates the high pressure chamber 4 c tothe high pressure chamber R₁ of the reversing valve housing 1.

[0940] Consequently, in the compressor body 4A, the part that partitionsthe high pressure chamber 4 c of the compressor housing 4 a in theinterior thereof functions as the outlet pipe 5 that guides a highpressure refrigerant compressed in the compressing section 4 d to thehigh pressure chamber R₁ of the reversing valve housing 1.

[0941] As to the compressor with a channel selector valve according to atwenty first embodiment constructed as described above, the compressorbody 4A is operated similarly to the operation of the compressor 4 inthe refrigerating cycle according to the fifth embodiment, thereby thepiston cylinder 12 of the reversing valve housing 1 can be selectedbetween the first and second positions.

[0942] According to the compressor with a channel selector valve of thetwenty first embodiment thus constructed, the same effect with that ofthe channel selector valve according to the fifth embodiment can beobtained, moreover, since the channel selector valve is integrated withthe compressor, a laying pipes for connection can be omitted, therebythe construction can be simplified.

[0943] The above construction prevents a leak of the refrigerant fromoccurring at a connection point of a pipe laying between the highpressure chambers 4 c and R₁, thereby contributing to prevention ofatmospheric pollution, and since there is no current conducting part foran electromagnetic solenoid and the like around the compressor thatgenerates oscillation, the above construction also prevents anoccurrence of an electrical fault due to failure in current conductionat an electric contact and a breaking of electric wire and the like,thereby reliance of the operation can be improved.

[0944] A channel selector valve, which is integrated with the compressorbody 4A to construct the compressor with a channel selector valve, isnot limited to the channel selector valve according to the fifthembodiment shown in FIG. 9, which is employed in the compressor with achannel selector valve of the twenty first embodiment, instead, may bethe channel selector valve according to the seventh embodiment of thepresent invention shown in FIG. 18, as shown in FIG. 61, i.e. a viewillustrating a schematic constitution of a refrigerating cycle employinga compressor with a channel selector valve according to a twenty secondembodiment of the present invention.

[0945] Moreover, although figures are omitted here, the channel selectorvalve according to sixth or eighth embodiment shown in FIG. 15 or 23,respectively, may be integrated with the compressor body 4A to constructthe compressor with a channel selector valve. Furthermore, each channelselector valve explained in the respective embodiment up to thetwentieth embodiment may be integrated with the compressor body 4A toconstruct the compressor with a channel selector valve.

[0946] When a channel selector valve except the channel selector valveaccording to the fifth embodiment is integrated with the compressor body4A to construct the compressor with a channel selector valve, pipes andchannels directly or indirectly connected to the pressure-transducingchamber R₂ and the second pressure-transducing chamber R₅ in eachchannel selector valve according to the respective embodiment isconnected likewise in the compressor with a channel selector valveintegrally constructed with the compressor body.

[0947] As to the compressor with the channel selector valve according tothe embodiment, except the channel selector valve according to the fifthembodiment, integrally constructed with the compressor body 4A includingthe compressor with the channel selector valve according to the twentyfirst or twenty second embodiment, the channel selector valve integratedwith the compressor body 4A to construct the compressor with the channelselector valve is separately constituted from the compressor 4, then thesimilar operation with that performed with respect to the refrigeratingcycle A is performed, thereby an operation of the channel selector valvecan be carried out.

[0948] By the compressor with the channel selector valve according tothe embodiment, except the channel selector valve according to the fifthembodiment, integrally constructed with the compressor body 4A includingthe compressor with the channel selector valve according to the twentyfirst or twenty second embodiment, a similar effect with that of thecompressor with the channel selector valve according to the twenty firstembodiment can be obtained.

[0949] In each embodiment mentioned above, a channel selector valve foruse to reverse a channel of the refrigerant in the refrigerating cycleand a compressor with a channel selector valve in which the channelselector valve is integrated are explained. However, the presentinvention can be widely applied to a channel selector valve for use toselect a channel of various fluid, for example, liquid such as pressureoil and water or gas except refrigerant, a different type of channelselector valve or a compressor with a channel selector valve in whichsuch a channel selector valve is integrated.

[0950] In the following, preferred embodiments of a device forcontrolling a refrigerating cycle according to the present inventionwill be explained with reference to the drawings.

[0951]FIG. 63 is a block diagram illustrating an example of arefrigerating cycle according to an embodiment of the present invention,which comprises a heat pump-type air conditioner consisting of an indoorunit (inside of alternate long and short dash line in the figure) and anoutdoor unit (outside of alternate long and short dash line in thefigure). In FIG. 63, an abbreviation numeral 4 denotes a compressor, 9Aan indoor heat exchanger loaded in the indoor unit, 9B an outdoor heatexchanger loaded in the outdoor unit, 10A an electrically-drivenexpansion valve as a throttle device, 200 an accumulator, and 100 achannel selector valve. In the following embodiments, a word anelectrically-driven expansion valve will be used for an explanation onthe structure and a word throttle device will be used for an explanationon the function. Here, the throttle device is not limited to anelectrically-driven expansion valve and may be other constitution.

[0952] An outlet of the compressor 4 is connected to the channelselector valve 100 while an inlet of the compressor 4 is connected tothe channel selector valve 100 by way of the accumulator 200. Thechannel selector valve 100 is connected to the indoor heat exchanger 9Aand the outdoor heat exchanger 9B through a pipe for heat exchangerwhile the electrically-driven expansion valve 10A is provided betweenthe indoor heat exchanger 9A and the outdoor heat exchanger 9B. Thereby,the compressor 4, the channel selector valve 100, accumulator 200, theindoor heat exchanger 9A, the outdoor heat exchanger 9B and theelectrically-driven expansion valve 10A constitute the refrigeratingcycle A. In the refrigerating cycle A according to this embodiment, thechannel selector valve 100 is any one of the various types of channelselector valve according to the following embodiments.

[0953] The compressor 4 compresses the refrigerant and the compressedrefrigerant is guided into the channel selector valve 100. As will beexplaned later, the channel selector valve selects a channel in responseto an operation mode, and the refrigerant discharged from the compressor4 is guided into either the indoor heat exchanger 9A or the outdoor heatexchanger 9B in response to a channel selected. That is, in the heatingmode, as shown in FIG. 63 by arrows, the compressed refrigerant isguided from the channel selector valve 100 into the indoor heatexchanger 9A, which functions as a condenser, the refrigerant guidedfrom the indoor heat exchanger 9A is guided into the outdoor heatexchanger 9B, which functions as an evaporator through theelectrically-driven expansion valve 10A. Then, the refrigerantevaporated in the outdoor heat exchanger 9B is guided into thecompressor 4 by way of the channel selector valve 100 and theaccumulator 200. On the other hand,. in the cooling mode, as shown bybroken lines in FIG. 63, the refrigerant compressed in the compressor 4is circulated in order of the channel selector valve 100, the outdoorheat exchanger 9B, the electrically-driven expansion valve 10A, theindoor heat exchanger 9A, the channel selector valve 100, theaccumulator 200, and the compressor 4, wherein the outdoor heatexchanger 9B functions as a condenser while the indoor heat exchanger 9Afunctions as a evaporator.

[0954] The indoor unit is provided with a cross flow fan 91A for sendingair passing through the indoor heat exchanger 9A, and a heat exchangermotor 92A for rotating the cross flow fan 91A is controlled its rotationby an indoor control section 300 constituted with a microcomputer andthe like through a driver 301, thereby a heat exchange capacity of theindoor heat exchanger 9A is controlled. An indoor temperature Ta isdetected by a temperature sensor 302 while a temperature Tc of theindoor heat exchanger 9A is detected by a temperature sensor 303. Areceiver section 304 receives signals of a remote control 500 such as aninfrared-type, thereby the selection and setting of an operation in theindoor control section 300 can be carried out by a remote control.

[0955] The outdoor unit is provided with a fan 91B for sending airpassing through the outdoor heat exchanger 9B, and a heat exchangermotor 92B for rotating the fan 91B is controlled its rotation by anoutdoor control section 400 constituted with a microcomputer and thelike through a driver 401, thereby a heat exchange capacity of theoutdoor heat exchanger 9B is controlled. An outdoor temperature Ta isdetected by a temperature sensor 402 while a temperature Tc of theoutdoor heat exchanger 9B is detected by a temperature sensor 403. Anoutdoor control section 400 controls an opening ratio of theelectrically-driven expansion valve 10A through a driver 404. Further,the outdoor control section 400 detects a temperature Td at the outletof the compressor 4 by a temperature sensor 405 and controls thecompressor 4 by a three-phase electrical power supplied from an invertermodule explained later.

[0956]FIG. 64 is a block diagram principally illustrating an electricsystem of an indoor control section 300 and outdoor control section 400.The indoor control section 300 has a power relay 310 for performing anon-off action of a main power source. A single-phase alternating currentof 100 V is supplied to an AC/DC converter 320 through the power relay310, transformed into various predetermined direct current voltages bythe AC/DC converter 320 and supplied to a microcomputer 330 and so on.The single-phase alternating current of 100 V supplied through the powerrelay 310 is also supplied to the outdoor control section 400 through alead 21 for supplying power.

[0957] In the outdoor control section 400, an alternating currentsupplied is passed through a noise filter 410, rectified in a voltagedoubler rectifier circuit 420 and smoothed by a smoothing capacitor 430,thereby a predetermined direct current volage is geneated. A current bythe direct current thus generated is supplied to an inverter module 450through a shunt resistor 440. A three-phase power is generated by theinverter module 450 and supplied to the compressor 4. On the other hand,an output from the smoothing capacitor 430 is transformed into apredetermined internal direct current voltage by a DC/DC converter 460and supplied to a microcomputer 470 and so on. The microcomputer 470outputs drive signals to the inverter module 450 so as to control anoperation of the compressor 4. A capacity of the compressor 4 tocompress the refrigerant is controlled by a frequency (Hz) of the drivesignal, that is, the higher the frequency (Hz), the higher the capacityof compression. For example, if set 30 Hz as a first predeterminedcapacity and 10 Hz as a second predetermined capacity, the pressure ofthe refrigerant at the first predetermined capacity is higher than thatat the second predetermined capacity. The microcomputer 470 performs aserial communication with the microcomputer 330 through a communicationlead 22 so as to carry out a transfer of data.

[0958]FIG. 62 is a block diagram according to an embodiment of a devicefor controlling a refrigerating cycle of the present invention, in whicheach element of the block diagram corresponds to the respective elementor a combination of each element in FIGS. 63 and 64. In therefrigerating cycle A, the identical element with that of FIG. 63 hasthe same abbreviation numeral with that of FIG. 63. A control device Cshown by an alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 62 corresponds tothe indoor control section 300 and the outdoor control section 400, inwhich a processing section C1 of the control device C corresponds to themicrocompnter 330 of the indoor control section 300 and themicrocompnter 470 of the outdoor control section 400. An input sectionC2 corresponds to the receiver section 304 of the indoor unit or amanual switch that is not shown in the figure, a detector section C3corresponds to the temperature sensors 302, 303, 402, 403, 405, pressuredetection means for detecting pressure, flow rate detection means fordetecting flow rate, voltage/current detection means for detectingvoltage/current or frequency detection means for detecting frequency,each means being not shown in the figure.

[0959] An electrically-driven expansion valve driving section C4, indoorheat exchanger driving section C5, outdoor heat exchanger drivingsection C6 and compressor driving section C7 are means to function whena control program according to each embodiment mentioned later iscarried out. Each driving section mentioned above is a driver shown inFIG. 63.

[0960] The electrically-driven expansion valve driving section C4outputs control signals to an electrically-driven expansion valve drivesource (e.g. stepping motor) 404 and controls an opening ratio of athrottle of the electrically-driven expansion valve 10A through theelectrically-driven expansion valve drive source 404. The indoor heatexchanger driving section C5 outputs control signals to an indoor heatexchanger drive source (e.g. fan motor) 301 that drives the cross flowfan 91A so as to operate or halt it in response to the control signaland controls a heat exchange capacity of the indoor heat exchanger 9A bythe number of revolution. The outdoor heat exchanger driving section C6outputs control signals to an outdoor heat exchanger drive source (e.g.fan motor) 401 that drives the cross flow fan 91B so as to operate orhalt it in response to the control signal and controls a heat exchangecapacity of the outdoor heat exchanger 9B by the number of revolution.The compressor driving section C7 outputs control signals to acompressor power source (e.g. inverter module or motor) 450 thatcontrols the compressor 4 for a normal rotation, inverse rotation,start, halt and selection of its capacity. The compressor power source450 is not limited to a motor and may be an engine.

[0961] Thus, in the refrigerating cycle A, an opening of the throttle ofthe electrically-driven expansion valve 10A is controlled, thereby aflow rate and a rate of change in a flow rate in the refrigerating cycleA is controlled. The indoor heat exchanger 9A and the outdoor heatexchanger 9B are drived or halted and heat exchange capacity thereof iscontrolled, thereby a pressure of the refrigerant in the indoor heatexchanger 9A, the outdoor heat exchanger 9B and the refrigerating cycleA is controlled. A normal rotation, inverse rotation, start, halt andselection of its capacity of the compressor 4 are controlled, thereby apressure and a rate of change in a pressure of the refrigerant, and aflow rate and a rate of change in a flow rate of the refrigerant in therefrugerating cycle A are controlled. Consequently, a physical quantitysuch as a pressure, differential pressure and flow rate, and a rate ofchange in a physical quantity such as a rate of change in pressure, rateof change in differential pressure and rate of change in flow rate inthe channel selector valve 100 in the refrigerating cycle A arecontrolled. Accordingly, in each embodiment of a channel selector valvementioned later, non-electrical motive power is generated due to thephysical quantity or the rate of change in the physical quantitymentioned above, then a channel is changed by the channel selector valve100.

[0962] The control device C controls a functional component such as theelectrically-driven expansion valve 10A, indoor heat exchanger 9A,outdoor heat exchanger 9B and compressor 4 in order to generatenon-electrical motive power on the basis of a physical quantityconcerning an operation control of the refrigerating cycle such as apressure, temperature, flow rate, voltage, current, electric frequencyand mechanical oscillation frequency. The refrigerating cycle is notlimited to a heat pump-type air-conditioner and may be a heat pump-typechiller unit, engine drive-type or car air-conditioner.

[0963]FIG. 65 is a block diagram illustrating a flow of signal andaction according to an embodiment of a device for controlling arefrigerating cycle of the present invention, in which an instructionfor a heating or cooling operation by the remote control 500 and so on,or a demand for change of a channel by the channel selector valvethrough a change of the operation mode is inputted in the controlsection C. Then, as a first step, the control section C outputs signalswith respect to “control of the compressor”, “control of the heatexchanger” or “control of the throttle device”. Then, as a result ofvarious controls mentioned above, as a second step, a state of thephysical quantity or the rate of change in the physical quantity of therefrigerating cycle changes, thereby, as a third step, a selectoroperation is carried out in a channel selector valve 100 according toeach embodiment described later. The electrically-driven expansion valve10A is an example of the throttle device.

[0964] Thus, in the present invention, an electric conduction to anelectromagnetic coil by e.g. a relay contact or a semiconductor-typeswitch is not employed in order to select a channel by the channelselector valve.

[0965] In the following, some actual examples of control operationcorresponding to the channel selector valve 100 or 50 according to theembodiment mentioned above will be explained.

[0966] In the following, a control operation of the control device Cthat controls the channel selector valve according to the firstembodiment will be explained with reference to a flow chart. Theprocessing section C1 of the control device C performs a control actionby the microcomputer 330 of the indoor control section 300 and themicrocomputer 470 of the outdoor control section 400. Thesemicrocomputers 330 and 470 in cooperation perform a controlcorresponding to each flow chart explained below with performing atransfer of data by a serial communication.

[0967]FIGS. 66 and 67 are a part of a flow chart of a main routine,which is common as to the channel selector valve according to eachembodiment from the first to twenty second embodiment. In the mainroutine, a power-on reset at a first priority level sets a first start,then at step S11 “initialization processing-1” such as a whole clear ofRAM is performed so as to proceed to step S23. A second priority levelby a reset of a watchdog timer or a calling off of a wait sets a secondstart, then “initialization processing-2” such as a partial clear of RAMis performed to proceed to step S13.

[0968] At step S13, an initialization processing of the control deviceis performed, then at step S14 an input processing of an operationinstriction, which inputs operation signals by the remote control 500 ora switch, is performed, then at step S15 an input processing, whichinputs a physical quantity concerning an operation control of therefrigerating cycle such as a pressure, temperature, flow rate, voltage,current, electric frequency and mechanical oscillation frequency isperformed, and then at step S16 a general processing, which performscomputation, comparison, judgement, determination of a control conditionof the refrigerating cycle and so on, is performed so as to proceed tostep S17.

[0969] At step S17, it is judged whether a data is normal or abnormal asa result of the processing. If abnormal, in step S18 it is judgedwhether a degree of the abnormality requires a standby or not, then ifrequired, the standby is set, and if not required, an operation of therefrigerating cycle is halted at step S19, then the system proceeds tostep S101 in FIG. 67. At step S101, it is judged whether the command is“select channel” or not, then if so, the system proceeds to step S102,and if not so, the system proceeds to step S105. At step S102 theoperation is set standby for a third predetermined period of time (about30 seconds), at step S103 an operation of the compressor 4 is startedwith a second predetermined capacity (e.g. 10 Hz), and at step S104 theposition data is set to be the first position after a firstpredetermined period of time (about 10 seconds), then the systemproceeds to step S108. At step 108, an operation of the refrigeratingcycle is halted, then the system proceeds to step S109 in FIG. 66. Atstep S109, the system is on standby for a predetermined period of timeuntil restart, then comes back to step S14.

[0970] On the other hand, if a data is normal at step S17, it is judgedwhether an operation of the refrigerating cycle is to be started or not,and if not, the system comes back to step S14, and if to be started, thesystem proceeds to step S111. At step S111, by each sub routinementioned later, a drive processing of the functional component such asthe compressor, electrically-driven expansion valve and heat exchangemotor in response to each embodiment and a detection processing fordetecting a position of the movable member (e.g. the piston cylinder 12)of the channel selector valve are performed, thereby a control ofselection of the channel selector valve according to each embodiment iscarried out.

[0971] At step S112, it is judged whether a position data of the movablemember of the channel selector valve coincides with a command data ornot, then if not, the system proceeds to step S19, and if coincides,various output processing such as a display is performed at step S113,then the system proceeds to step S114. At step S114, it is judgedwhether an operation of the refrigerating cycle is to be continued ornot, then if not, the system proceeds to step S19, and if to becontinued, at step S115 it is judged whether the command is “selectchannel” or not. If not, the system comes back to step S14, while if so,the system performs a processing of an operation or halt of thecompressor in response to each embodiment at step S116, then comes backto step S14.

[0972]FIG. 68 is a flow chart of a sub-routine (step S111) for a channelselector valve (FIGS. 1 and 2) according to the first embodiment of thepresent invention. At step S21, it is watched whether an operation ofthe refrigerating cycle is to be started or not, and if to be started,it is judged whether the command is “select channel” or not at step S22.If not, an operation of the compressor 4 is started with a secondpredetermined capacity (e.g. 10 Hz), then the system proceeds to stepS26, while if the command is “select channel”, a processing fortransferring the liquid refrigerant in FIG. 69 is performed at step S24,then an operation of the compressor 4 is started with a firstpredetermined capacity (e.g. 30 Hz) at step S25 and then, the systemproceeds to step S26. Here, the step S23 corresponds to claim 87 and thestep S25 correspomds to claim 76.

[0973] At step S26 a drive processing (normal processing) of thethrottle device is performed, at step S27 a drive processing (normalprocessing) of the heat exchanger motor is performed, and at step S28 adetection processing of a position of the channel selector valve isperformed, thereby the system comes back to a main routine. In thisdetection processing of a position of the channel selector valve, astate of a channel in the channel selector valve, i.e. a position of themovable member is detected by comparing a temperature Tc of the indoorheat exchanger 9A with a temperature Tc′ of the outdoor heat exchanger9B. The state of a channel in the channel selector valve may be detectedby comparing a pressure of the indoor heat exchanger 9A with a pressureof the outdoor heat exchanger 9B. When a slide valve 27 of the channelselector valve moves, there is a short cycle mode (a phenomenon that ahigh pressure side is connected to a low pressure side) even though itappears in a short period of time. At this time, there is a load changeof the compressor 4, which appears as a fluctuation in a load current.Therefore, such a method may be employed that a state of selection ofthe channel selector valve is detected by watching the load current whenthe command “select channel” by the channel selector valve is set. Forthis purpose, the load current is watched by detecting a voltage betweenboth ends of a shunt resistor shown in FIG. 64.

[0974] A processing for transferring a liquid refrigerant shown in FIG.69 corresponds to claim 77. At step S241 an operation of the compressor4 is started with a second predetermined capacity (e.g. 10 Hz), at stepS242 an operation of the refrigerating cycle is performed for a fourthpredetermined period of time (equal to or longer than about threeminutes), and at step S243 an operation of the refrigerating cycle ishalted for a fifth predetermined period of time (shorter than aboutthree minutes), then the system comes back to the former routine. Thisprocessing for transferring a liquid refrigerant may be omitted,although the movable member easily moves, if this processing isincluded.

[0975] In the processing of an operation or halt of the compressor atstep S116 of the main routine, the compressor 4 is operated with a thirdpredetermined capacity (e.g. 5 Hz) in the first embodiment and thesystem comes back to step S14, which corresponds to claim 83.

[0976] With the processings described above, when a channel is notswithed by the channel selector valve, the movable member is held at thefirst position at step S23, while when a channel is switched, themovable member is moved from the first position to the second positionat step S25.

[0977] If a connection relationship between the pipes 7 and 8 and heatexchangers 9A and 9B in the first embodiment is reversed, a control ofthe system can be performed in such a manner that the piston cylinder 12is situated at the second position in the heating mode and that thepiston cylinder 12 is situated at the first position in the coolingmode.

[0978]FIG. 70 is a flow chart of a sub-routine (step S111 in FIG. 66)for a channel selector valve (FIGS. 9 to 14) according to the fifthembodiment of the present invention. At step S31 it is watched whetheran operation of the refrigerating cycle is to be started or not, and ifto be started, it is judged whether the command is “select channel” ornot at step S32. If the command is not “select channel”, it is judgedwhether the position data is the first position or not, and if not thefirst position, the system proceeds to step S38, while if the firstposition, an operation of the compressor 4 is started with a firstpredetermined capacity (e.g. 30 Hz) at step S34 and the position data isrenewed to the second position after a first predetermined period oftime (e.g. about 10 seconds) at step S35. Then, at step S36 an operaionof the refrigerating cycle is halted, at step S37 the operation is setstandby for a third predetermined period of time (about 30 seconds) andthen, the system proceeds to step S38. At step S38 an operation of thecompressor 4 is started with a second predetermined capacity (e.g. 10Hz), at step S39 the compressor 4 is operated with a predeterminedcapacity (corresponding to a load) after a first predetermined period oftime (about 10 seconds) and then, the system proceeds to step S308.

[0979] On the other hand, if the command is “select channel” at stepS32, it is judged whether the position data is the second position ornot at step S301, and if not the second position, the system proceeds tostep S306, while if the second position, an operation of the compressor4 is started with a second predetermined capacity (e.g. 10 Hz) at stepS302, then the position data is renewed to the first position after afirst predetermined period of time (about 10 seconds) at step S303.Then, at step S304 an operation of the refrigerating cycle is halted, atstep S305 the operation is set standby for a third predetermined periodof time (about 30 seconds), and the system proceeds to step S306. Atstep S306 an operation of the compressor 4 is started with a firstpredetermined capacity (e.g. 30 Hz), at step S307 the compressor 4 isoperated with a predetermined capacity (corresponding to a load) after afirst predetermined period of time (about 10 seconds), then the systemproceeds to step S308.

[0980] At step S308 a drive processing (normal processing) of thethrottle device is performed, at step S309 a drive processing (normalprocessing) of the heat exchanger motor is performed, and at step S310 adetection processing of a position of the channel selector valve isperformed similarly to the step S28, then the system comes back to themain routine (FIG. 66). The steps S34 to S37 and S302 to S305 correspondto claim 74.

[0981] In the processing of an operation or halt of the compressor atstep S116 of the main routine, a processing to halt an operation of thecompressor 4 is performed in the fifth embodiment and following eachembodiment starting with the ninth embodiment, and then the system comesback to step S14, which corresponds to claim 83.

[0982] In the channel selector valve according to the fifth embodiment,if a connection relationship between the pipes 7 and 8 and heatexchangers 9A and 9B is reversed, a position of selection of a channelis reversed in response to the operation mode.

[0983] A processing to perform a control of selection of the cahnnelselector valve according to the thirteenth embodiment and the channelselector valve 51 according to the fifteenth embodiment is similar to acontrol of the channel selector valve according to the fifth embodimentshown in FIG. 70, in which the channel selector valve 51 is controlledby controlling an operation of the compressor 4.

[0984]FIG. 71 is a flow chart of a sub-routine (step S111 in FIG. 66)for a channel selector valve (FIGS. 24 to 27) according to the ninthembodiment of the present invention. At step S41 it is watched whetheran operation of the refrigerating cycle is to be started or not, and ifto be started, it is judged whether the command is “select channel” ornot at step S42. If the command is not “select channel”, an openingratio of the electrically-driven expansion valve is set almost fullyclosed, at step S44 an operation of the compressor 4 is started with asecond predetermined capacity (e.g. 10 Hz), at step S45 the openingratio of the electrically-driven expansion valve is set back to apredetermined opening ratio (corresponding to a load) after a firstpredetermined period of time (about 10 seconds), then the systemproceeds to step S49.

[0985] On the other hand, if the command is “select channel” at stepS42, the opening ratio of the electrically-driven expansion valve is setalmost fully opened at step S46, an operation of the compressor 4 isstarted with a first predetermined capacity (e.g. 30 Hz) at step S47,the opening ratio of the electrically-driven expansion valve is set backto a predetermined opening ratio (corresponding to a load) after a firstpredetermined period of time (about 10 seconds) at step S48, then thesystem proceeds to step S49.

[0986] At step S49 a drive processing (normal processing) of thethrottle device is performed, and at step S401 a detection processing ofa position of the channel selector valve is performed similarly to thestep S28, then the system comes back to the main routine (FIG. 66). Thesteps S43 and S46 correspond to claim 78, while the step S48 correspondsto claim 81.

[0987] In FIGS. 24 and 25, the capillary tube 10B is provided betweenthe channel 14A and the indoor heat exchanger 9A and theelectrically-driven expansion valve 10A is provided between the channel14A and the outdoor heat exchanger 9B. Instead, positions of thecapillary tube 10B and the electrically-driven expansion valve 10A canbe changed with each other. In this case, a control can be performed byreplaceing steps S42, S43 and S46 in a flow chart shown in FIG. 71 withsteps S42′, S43′ and S46′ in a flow chart shown in FIG. 72. That is, ifthe command is not “select channel” at step S42′, an opening ratio ofthe electrically-driven expansion valve is set almost fully opened atstep S43′, then the system proceeds to step S44, while if the command is“select channel” at step S42′, an opening ratio of theelectrically-driven expansion valve is set almost fully closed at stepS46′, then the system proceeds to step S47.

[0988]FIG. 73 is a flow chart of a sub-routine (step S111 in FIG. 66)for a channel selector valve according to the tenth embodiment (FIGS. 28and 29) of the present invention. At step S51 it is watched whether anoperation of the refrigerating cycle is to be started or not, and if tobe operated, it is judged whether the command is “select channel” or notat step S52. If the command is not to swtch a channel, at step S53 anoperation of the compressor 4 is started with a second predeterminedcapacity (e.g. 10 Hz), at step S54 a drive processing (normalprocessing) of the electrically-driven expansion valve is performed, atstep S55 a drive processing (normal processing) of the heat exchangermotor is performed, and at step S56 the compressor 4 is operated with apredetermined capacity (corresponding to a load) after a firstpredetermined period of time (about 10 seconds), then the systemproceeds to step S502.

[0989] On the other hand, if the command is “select channel” at stepS52, an operation of the compressor 4 is started at step S57 and drivedat a specific frequency. Then, at step S58 a drive processing (normalprocessing) of the throttle device is performed, at step S59 a driveprocessing (normal processing) of the heat exchanger motor is performed,and at step S501 the compressor 4 is operated with a predeterminedcapacity (corresponding to a load) after a first predetermined period oftime (about 10 seconds), then the system proceeds to step S502. At stepS502 a detection processing of a position of the channel selector valveis performed similarly to the step S28, then the system comes back tothe main routine (FIG. 66). The step S57 corresponds to claim 75 and thestep S501 corresponds to claim 80.

[0990] With the processings mentioned above, a control of selection ofthe channel selector valve is carried out by resonating the pilotoscillation valve 30 with the compressor 4.

[0991]FIG. 74 is a flow chart of a sub-routine (step S111 in FIG. 66)for a channel selector valve according to the eleventh embodiment (FIGS.30 and 31) of the present invention. At step S61 it is watched whetheran operation of the refrigerating cycle is to be started or not, and ifto be started, it is judged whether the command is “select channel” ornot at step S62. If the command is not “select channel”, at step S63 adrive processing (normal processing) of the heat exchanger motor isperformed, at step S64 an operation of the compressor 4 is started witha second predetermined capacity (e.g. 10 Hz), at step S65 the compressor4 is operated with a predetermined capacity (corresponding to a load)after a first predetermined period of time (about 10 seconds), and atstep S66 a drive processing (normal processing) of the throttle deviceis performed, then the system proceeds to step S603.

[0992] On the other hand, if the command is “select channel” at stepS62, at step S67 an operation of the heat exchanger motor is kepthalted, at step S68 an operation of the compressor 4 is started with afirst predetermined capacity (e.g. 30 Hz), and at step S69 an operationof the heat exchanger motor is started after a second predeterminedperiod of time (about 20 seconds), then an operation of the heatexchanger motor is started. Then, at step S601 the compressor 4 isoperated with a capacity required to hold the movable member (e.g. thepiston cylinder 12) at the second position, and at step S602 a driveprocessing (normal processing) of the throttle device is performed, thenthe system proceeds to step S603. At step S603 a detection processing ofa position of the channel selector valve is performed similarly to thestep S28, then the system comes back to the main routine (FIG. 66). Thestep 67 corresponds to claim 79 and the steps S69 and S601 correspond toclaim 82.

[0993] With the processings mentioned above, a control of selection ofthe channel selector valve is carried out by controlling the heatexchanger.

[0994] In the first to eleventh embodiments mentioned above, the channelselector valve constructed by employing a slide-type four-way selectorvalve is explained. In the following, an embodiment, in which thepresent invention is applied to a rotary channel selector valve thatperforms its channel selector operation by rotation of a main valveelement in a valve housing will be explained.

[0995] A schematic constitution of a refrigerating cycle A employing arotary channel selector valve will be explained with reference to FIG.35, in which the same abbreviation numerals with those used for thecorresponding identical members or parts of the refrigerating cycle Ashown in FIG. 63 are used.

[0996] In FIG. 35, a channel of the refrigerant in the cooling mode isshown by solid lines while that in the heating mode is shown by brokenlines. In this refrigerating cycle A, a place where the high pressurerefrigerant discharged from the compressor 4 is guided to and a placewhere the refrigerant to be sucked by the compressor 4 by way of anaccumulator 200 is guided from are mutually selected out of the indoorheat exchanger 9A and the outdoor heat exchanger 9B by a rotary four-wayselector valve 50, and an electrically-driven expansion valve 10A isprovided between the indoor heat exchanger 9A and the outdoor heatexchanger 9B. Pressure sensors Pc and Pc′ are disposed at the indoorheat exchanger 9A and the outdoor heat exchanger 9B, respectively, todetect each pressure, thereby a position of the movable member can bedetected. These pressure sensors may be disposed at a channel near therotary four-way selector valve 50.

[0997]FIG. 75 is a flow chart of a sub-routine (step S111 in FIG. 66)for a channel selector valve 81 according to the eighteen embodiment ofthe present invention. At step S71 a judge processing of an operationcommand by a microcomputer is performed, and at step S72 it is judgedwhether an opeation mode required is the cooling mode or not. If thecooling mode is required, processings starting from step S73 areperformed, on the other hand if the heating mode is required,processings starting from step S703 are performed.

[0998] At step S73 it is judged whether a position data is the firstposition or not, and if not, the system proceeds to step S78, on theother hand if the first position, at step S74 an operation of thecompressor 4 is started in its inverse direction, then at step S75 theposition data is renewed into the second position after a firstpredetermined period of time (e.g. 10 seconds). Then, at step S76 anoperation of the refrigerating cycle is halted,. an at step S77 anoperation thereof is set standby for a third predetermined period oftime (about 30 seconds), then the system proceeds to step S78. At stepS78 an operation of the compressor 4 is started with a firstpredetermined capacity (e.g. 30 Hz), then at step S79 the compressor 4is operated with a predetermined capacity (corresponding to a load)after a first predetermined period of time (e.g. 10 seconds). Then, atstep S701 it is watched whether there is an indication of halt of anoperation (cooling operation) or not, and if there is, at step S702, anoperation of the compressor 4 is halted and the system is set standbyfor a third predetermined period of time (about 30 seconds) with keepingthe position data to be the second position, then the system comes backto the former routine.

[0999] On the other hand, at step S72 if the heating mode is required,at step S703 it is judged whether a position data is the second positionor not, and if not, the system proceeds to step S708, on the other handif the second position, at step S704 an operation of the compressor 4 isstarted in its inverse direction, then at step S705 the position data isrenewed into the first position after a first predetermined period oftime (e.g. 10 seconds). Then, at step S706 an operation of therefrigerating cycle is halted, an at step S707 an operation thereof isset standby for a third predetermined period of time (about 30 seconds),then the system proceeds to step S708. At step S708 an operation of thecompressor 4 is started with a first predetermined capacity (e.g. 30Hz), then at step S709 the compressor 4 is operated with a predeterminedcapacity (corresponding to a load) after a first predetermined period oftime (e.g. 10 seconds). Then, at step S710 it is watched whether thereis an indication of halt of an operation (heating operation) or not, andif there is, at step S711, an operation of the compressor 4 is haltedand the system is set standby for a third predetermined period of time(about 30 seconds) with keeping the position data to be the firstposition, then the system comes back to the former routine.

Industrial Applicability

[1000] According to a channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 1, since a channel selection of fluid by the channelselector valve is performed by employing non-electric motive power,there is no necessity of using an electrically-driven drive source suchas an electromagnetic solenoid, resulting in decreasing cause of faultto occur, improving a reliability of the operation, contributing toprevention of environmental pollution due to an operation at a powerplant and powerful promotion of energy saving and the like.

[1001] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 2, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 1, a channel selection of fluid by thechannel selector valve is passively performed using motive powergenerated by a non-electrically-driven drive source provided separatelyfrom the channel selector valve, therefore there is no necessity for thechannel selector valve to have a source for generating motive power.

[1002] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 3, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 2, at least one of element components ina refrigerating cycle having the channel selector valve is used as thedrive source, therefore there is no necessity to newly provide a drivesource for selecting a channel by a channel selector valve.

[1003] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 4, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 3, the element component in therefrigerating cycle acts so that a change in a physical quantity isgenerated in the refrigerating cycle, therefore a selection of a channelof fluid by the channel selector valve is performed as a consequence.

[1004] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 5, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 4, at least one change among changes inpressure, differential pressure and flow rate of fluid in the channelselector valve arising from an action of the element component in therefrigerating cycle is used, therefore a selection of a channel by thechannel selector valve can be easily performed by using such a change inphysical quantity generated in the refrigerating cycle as motive power.

[1005] According to a channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 6, a selection of a place where a main port iscommunicated to between two selector ports, which is achieved by movinga movable member between the first and second positions, can beperformed without using electric motive power, resulting in decreasingcause of fault to occur. Therefore, there is no necessity of a drivesource to genarate electric motive power, resulting in decreasing causeof fault to occur, improving a reliability of the operation,contributing to prevention of environmental pollution due to anoperation at a power plant and powerful promotion of energy saving andthe like.

[1006] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 7, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 6, the element component in therefrigerating cycle acts so that a change in a physical quantity isgenerated in the refrigerating cycle, therefore a selection of a channelof fluid by the channel selector valve is performed as a consequencewithout a drive source newly provided.

[1007] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 8, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 7, at least one change among changes inpressure, differential pressure and flow rate of fluid in the channelselector valve arising from an action of the element component in therefrigerating cycle is used, therefore a selection of a channel by thechannel selector valve can be easily performed by using such a change inphysical quantity generated in the refrigerating cycle as motive power.

[1008] According to a channel selector valve of the present invention asdescribed in claim 9, a first and second three-way selector valvesconstituted by the channel selector valve according to claim 6, 7 or 8are combined, therefore a four-way selector valve, which can select achannel of fluid, is easily constructed without using electric motivepower by a simple combination of valves usable separately.

[1009] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 10, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 9, an action of a first three-wayselector valve is incorporated with that of a second three-way selectorvalve so that the channel selector valve functions securely as afour-way selector valve by the combination.

[1010] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 11, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 10, the movable member of the firstthree-way selector valve situated at the first position is moved to thesecond position by a first drive mechanism of the first three-wayselector valve, while the movable member of the first three-way selectorvalve situated at the second position is moved to the first position bya second drive mechanism, a pressure of fluid at the first selector portis set equal to that at the second selector port, thereby a movement ofthe movable member of the second three-way selector valve is passivelyperformed.

[1011] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 12, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 11, a pressure of fluid at the main portis suitably adjusted in response to a position of the movable member ofthe first three-way selector valve, and an energizing force to move themovable member of the first three-way selector valve to a differentposition is stored in storing means for storing energizing force, themovable member of the first three-way selector valve is moved by theenergizing force without using electric motive power, thereby themovable member of the second three-way selector valve can be passivelymoved without using electric motive power.

[1012] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 13, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 6, 7 or 8, by using a channel selectorvalve that solely constructs a four-way selector valve, a place wherefluid introduced from the exterior of the housing flows to and a placewhere fluid discharged to the exterior of the housing is introduced fromcan be selected without using electric motive power.

[1013] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 14, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 13, the movable member can be movedwithout using electric motive power due to a difference between apressure of fluid introduced from the exterior of the housing and apressure of fluid discharged to the exterior of the housing, which isgenerated between the first space of the first pressure chamberpartitioned by the movable member in the housing and the second pressurechamber, thereby a channel of fluid can be selected.

[1014] According to a method of driving the channel selector valve ofthe present invention as described in claim 15, when the channelselector valve of the present invention as described in claim 14 isdrived, even if there is no difference between a pressure of fluid inthe first space and a pressure of fluid in the second pressure chamber,the movable member can be moved from the second position to the firstposition by an energizing force of the energizing means, and adifference between a pressure of fluid in the first space and a pressureof fluid in the second pressure chamber is set in response to theenergizing force of the energizing means so that the movable member isheld at the first or second position, thereby a selection state of achannel of fluid can be maintained.

[1015] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 16, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 14, the movable member easily can bekept being situated at the first or second position by making use of astatic friction force between the valve seat and the movable member.

[1016] According to a method of driving the channel selector valve ofthe present invention as described in claim 17, when the channelselector valve of the present invention as described in claim 16 isdrived, a selection of a channel of fluid that is achieved by moving themovable member from the first position to the second position is carriedout by using a change in pressure of fluid in the first space withoutusing electric motive power generated by an electrically-driven drivesource such as an electromagnetic solenoid and the like, thereafter aselection state, in which the movable member is situated at the secondposition, can be maintained.

[1017] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 18, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 14 or 16, the movable member can bemoved between the first and second positions by making use of aninternal pressure of the housing, which is changed by fluid introducedfrom the exterior into the interior of the housing by way of an inletport of the housing, without using electric motive power generated by anelectrically-driven drive source such as an electromagnetic solenoid andthe like.

[1018] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 19, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 18, a selector valve element of anon-electrically-driven pilot valve is moved between a fifth positionand a sixth position, thereby a place in which a pressure of fluid islower than that in the first space of the first pressure chamber isselected between the second pressure chamber and the third pressurecahmber, which are partitioned by the movable member and situatedsandwiching the first pressure chamber therebetween, the movable memberis moved by a motive power as low as a power required to perform aselection of the selector valve element of the pilot valve, and aselection of a channel of fluid can be carried out.

[1019] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 20, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 19, when a difference between a pressureof fluid in the second pressure chamber and that in the third pressurechamber cancels out, the selector valve element is moved from one toanother between the fifth and sixth positions by second driving means,thereby the movable member can be moved from one to another between thefirst and second positions without using electric motive power.

[1020] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 21, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 20, a difference in a pressure of fluidis generated between a fourth pressure chamber and a fifth pressurechamber of the pilot valve with making these chambers be communicated toor isolated with the second or third pressure chamber, by using a firstor second subvalve in response to a movement of the movable member, andan energizing force is suitably stored to third or fourth storing meansfor storing energizing force, thereby a movement of the selector valveelement in the pilot valve over a range from a fifth position to aneighth position, which is for generating a difference in a pressure offluid between the third and second pressure chambers, said differencebeing transformed into a motive power to move the movable member, can beperformed without using electric motive power.

[1021] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 22, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 19, when a difference between a pressureof fluid in the second pressure chamber and that in the third pressurechamber cancels out, the selector valve element is moved from one toanother between the fifth and sixth positions by second driving means,thereby the movable member can be moved from one to another between thefirst and second positions without using electric motive power.

[1022] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 23, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 22, an energizing force is suitablystored to third or fourth storing means for storing energizing force ofthe pilot valve by using a difference in a pressure of fluid generatedbetween a second pressure chamber and a third pressure chamber, therebythe selector valve element is moved to a seventh or eighth position whena difference between a pressure of fluid in the second pressure chamberand that in the third pressure chamber cancels out, thereby making achange in a difference in pressure between fluid in a fourth pressurechamber of the pilot valve, which communicates with the third pressurechamber, and fluid in a fifth pressure chamber of the pilot valve, whichcommunicates with the second pressure chamber, thereby the movablemember can be moved from one to another between the first and secondpositions without using electric motive power.

[1023] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 24, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 14 or 16, the movable member is movedfrom one to another between the first and second positions by changing apressure of fluid introduced from the exterior to the interior of thehousing by way of an inlet port of the housing, while the movable memberis moved from another to one between the first and second positions onlyor supplementarily by using an energizing force stored in the energizingmeans, thereby a selection of a channel by the channel selector valvecan be easily and securely achieved without using electric motive power.

[1024] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 25, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 24, the movable member situated ateither the first or second position is stayed at one position or movedto another position selectively, thereby a selection of a channel by thechannel selector valve can be securely achieved without using electricmotive power.

[1025] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 26, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 25, the latch mechanism selectivelyperforms the first or second state, thereby a selection of a channel bythe channel selector valve can be securely achieved without usingelectric motive power.

[1026] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 27, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 26, a selection of a channel by thechannel selector valve can be achieved without directly affecting alarge impact to the movable member, that is, without directly applying acontrol to a movement of the movable member.

[1027] According to a method of driving the channel selector valve ofthe present invention as described in claim 28, in the channel selectorvalve of the present invention as described in claim 26 or 27, after acontrol of a movement of the movable member situated at one position bythe latch mechanism is removed, the movable member can be securely movedfrom the one position to another position, in addition, the latchmechanism can control a movement of the movable member, that is,securely control the movable member to be situated at the one position.

[1028] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 29, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 24, when the second latch mechanismcontrols a movement of a valve-opening member, the movable member, whichis moved from one position to another position by the third drivemechanism, can move from the another position to the one position by thefourth drive mechanism, while to the contrary, when the second latchmechanism does not control a movement of a valve-opening member, themovable member, which is moved from one position to another position bythe third drive mechanism, can be held at the another position by usinga motive power of the third drive mechanism without using an exclusivedrive source and the like.

[1029] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 30, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 29, a state, in which the movable membermoved from one position to another position by the third drive mechanismis held at the another position, can be mutually produced whenever thethird drive mechanism generates a motive power.

[1030] According to a method of driving the channel selector valve ofthe present invention as described in claim 31, in the channel selectorvalve of the present invention as described in claim 29 or 30, thesecond latch mechanism is transferred between a state in which amovement of the valve-opening member from the valve-closing position tothe valve-opening position is controlled and a state in which saidcontrol is removed, thereby the system can be transferred from onestate, in which the movable member can move from the another position tothe one position by using a motive power generated by the fourth drivemechanism, to another state in which the movable member cannot move fromthe another position to the one position, or the system can betransferred from the another state to the one state.

[1031] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 32, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 24, a selection, which is achieved bymoving the movable member between the first and second positions, of aplace to which the fluid introduced from the exterior of the housinginto the first space by way of the inlet port is discharged and a placefrom which the fluid discharged from the second space to the exterior ofthe housing by way of the outlet port is intriduced, is carried out by achange in pressure of the fluid introduced into the first space withoutusirig an exclusive drive source such as an electromagnetic solenoid.

[1032] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 33, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 24, the movable member moved from thefirst position to the second position by using a motive power generatedby a non-electrically-driven drive source can be held at the secondposition even if the motive power is not continuously supplied.

[1033] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 34, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 33, a force applied to the movablemember is adjusted by fluid in the first space, thereby a selection of achannel by the channel selector valve can be securely achieved withoutusing an electrically-driven drive source.

[1034] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 35, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 34, a force applied to the movablemember is adjusted by fluid in the first space, thereby a selection of achannel by the channel selector valve can be securely achieved withoutusing an electrically-driven drive source, in addition, even if a forceapplied to the movable member by a pressure of fluid in the first spacebecomes equal to a force applied to the movable member by a pressure offluid in the second space, an energizing force of the energizing meansmoves the movable member to the first position, thereby the firstposition can be set as an initial position of the movable member.

[1035] According to a method of driving the channel selector valve ofthe present invention as described in claim 36, when the channelselector valve of the present invention as described in claim 35 isdrived, a force applied to the movable member in a direction from thefirst to second position is set to exceed a force applied to the movablemember in a direction from the second to first position, thereby themovable member is moved from the first position to the second position,then the force applied to the movable member in a direction from thefirst to second position can be lowered as long as said forcecorresponds to a pressure to hold the movable member at the secondposition, therefore a degree of freedom in an operation of therefrigerating cycle can be raised after the movable member is moved tothe second position.

[1036] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 37, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 7, an opening ratio of theelectrically-driven expansion valve is changed to change a pressure offluid, thereby the movable member easily moves between the first andsecond positions and a selection of a channel by the channel selectorvalve can be securely achieved without using electric motive power.

[1037] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 38, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 7, a frequency of an oscillationgenerated by the compressor is changed, thereby the movable membereasily moves between the first and second positions and a selection of achannel by the channel selector valve can be securely achieved withoutusing electric motive power.

[1038] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 39, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 7, a difference in fluid pressure ischanged, for example, by changing an efficiency of heat exchange by theheat exchanger, thereby the movable member easily moves between thefirst and second positions and a selection of a channel by the channelselector valve can be securely achieved without using electric motivepower.

[1039] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 40, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 13, a space required for the movablemember to move between the first and second positions can be set smallerthan that in a case of a linear slide-type channel selector valve. Also,the main valve element is moved by using a difference between a pressureof fluid introduced from the exterior of the housing and that of fluiddischarged to the exterior of the housing, which is generated betweenthe second pressure chamber and the first space in the first pressurechamber partitioned by the main valve element, thereby a channel offluid can be selected.

[1040] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 41, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 40, a pressure of fluid, which flowsinto second communication means formed at one end surface of the mainvalve element for communicating the ports of the valve seat with eachother, is utilized so as to generate a rotative thrust of the main valveelement, thereby the main valve element can be rotated without usingelectric motive power and a channel of fluid can be selected.

[1041] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 42, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 41, a fluid in the inlet port and afluid in the outlet port, which are formed at a reverse side of thehousing with each other, generate a difference in pressure of the fluidbetween both sides of the housing sandwiching the main valve element,and by utilizing this difference in pressure the main valve element canbe rotated between the first and second positions without using electricmotive power.

[1042] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 43, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 40, the main valve element is moved in adirection of the central axis of the housing by using non-electricmotive power so as to transform this movement in a direction of thecentral axis into a rotation in a direction of circumference of thehousing by the conversion means of moving direction, thereby the mainvalve element is rotated between the first and second positions and achannel of fluid can be selected.

[1043] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 44, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 43, a movement of the cam follower pinin the cam groove transforms a movement of the main valve element in adirection of the central axis by using non-electric motive power into arotation in a direction of circumference of the housing, thereby achannel of fluid can be selected without using electric motive power.

[1044] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 45, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 44, when a cam groove is formed in thehousing, a guide of the first half of the inner housing is joined with aguide of the second half of the inner housing, thereby the cam followerpin of the main valve element disposed in the housing can be easilydisposed in the cam groove.

[1045] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 46, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 44 or 45, the end surface of the mainvalve element, on which the second communication means is formed forcommunicating the ports of the valve seat with each other, is away fromthe valve seat at a position except the first and second positions wherethe ports can communicates with each other by the second communicationmeans, thereby an equalization of a pressure of the fluid in each port,in a state that the ports cannot communicate with each other, can beeasily achieved without using electric motive power.

[1046] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 47, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 46, when the main valve element issituated at a position except the first and second positions, where themain valve element is away from the valve seat so that the ports cannotcommunicate with each other by the second communication means, acommunication channel, which selectively communicates the opposite portformed at the opposite end side of the housing to the two selector portsformed at the valve seat at the one end side of the housing, is closedby the subvalve energized toward a direstion of closing by the subvalveenergizing means, thereby an unnecessary communication between theopposite port and the selector port, in a state that is not a normalselection state, can be prevented from occurring.

[1047] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 48, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 47, a part of a movement of the mainvalve element toward a direction of the central axis of the housing,which is needed to rotate the main valve element, is achieved by movingthe main valve element away from the valve seat with an own weight ofthe main valve, thereby non-electric motive power required to move themain valve element can be reduced.

[1048] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 49, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 47 or 48, a movement of the main valveelement in the direction away from the valve seat, which is needed forthe movable member to rotate for moving from one to another between thefirst and second positions, is performed only or supplementarily byusing an energizing force stored in the energizing means for energizingthe main valve element, thereby a selection of a channel by the channelselector valve can be easily and securely achieved without usingelectric motive power.

[1049] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 50, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 47 or 48, a movement of the main valveelement in the direction nearer to the valve seat, which is needed forthe movable member to rotate for moving from another to one between thefirst and second positions, is performed only or supplementarily byusing an energizing force stored in the second energizing means forenergizing the main valve element, thereby a selection of a channel bythe channel selector valve can be easily and securely achieved withoutusing electric motive power.

[1050] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 51, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 50, the main valve element is moved inthe direction nearer to the valve seat or in the direction away from thevalve seat by using non-electric motive power, thereby it is easily toset up whether the main valve element is repeatedly rotated at the sameposition out of either the first or second position or is rotated at adifferent position.

[1051] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 52, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 51, when the cam follower pin is placedin the groove of the cam groove in order to situate the main valveelement at one position out of the first and second positions, the mainvalve element is prevented from rotating at another position out of thefirst and second positions upon a next rotation of the main valveelement.

[1052] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 53, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in claim 51 or 52, when the cam follower pin isplaced in the second groove of the cam groove in order to situate themain valve element at another position, which is different from theformer position, out of the first and second positions, the main valveelement is prevented from coming back to the former position upon a nextrotation of the main valve element.

[1053] According to the channel selector valve of the present inventionas described in claim 54, in the channel selector valve of the presentinvention as described in any one of claims 40-53, a movement of themain valve element in the direction nearer to or away from the valveseat, which is needed to rotate the main valve element between the firstand second positions, can be performed by smoothly rotating the mainvalve element between the first and second positions with the aid of theslide means that reduces a sliding resistance between the main valveelement and the housing.

[1054] According to a compressor with the channel selector valve of thepresent invention as described in claim 55, a compressor, with which thechannel selector valve as described in any one of claims 10-14, 16,18-27, 29-30, 32-35, and 37-54 is integrated, can be easily constructed,in addition, since there is no necessity to use a pipe for forming ahigh pressure chamber inside, reducing pipe laying and pipe joiningaround the compressor, thereby reducing leak of fluid at the joiningportion of pipes and contributing to prevention of air pollution whenthe fluid is some kind of refrigerant. Moreover, since there is nocurrent conducting part for an electromagnetic solenoid and the likearound the compressor that generates oscillation, the above constructionalso prevents an occurrence of an electrical fault due to failure incurrent conduction at an electric contact and a breaking of electricwire and the like, thereby reliance of the operation can be improved.

[1055] According to a device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 56, since the channelselector valve is controlled by controlling the functional componentsfor controlling the operation of the refrigerating cycle, upon aselector operation of a valve such as a four-way selector valve providedin the refrigerating cycle for selecting a channel of fluid, preventionof environmental pollution and energy saving and the like areeffectively achieved.

[1056] According to a device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 57, the functional componentis controlled to control an operation of the refrigerating cycle,thereby generating a non-electrical motive power, by which the channelselector valve is passively controlled, therefore, upon a selectoroperation of a valve such as a four-way selector valve provided in therefrigerating cycle for selecting a channel of fluid, prevention ofenvironmental pollution and energy saving and the like are effectivelyachieved.

[1057] According to a device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 58, by using amicrocomputer, which controls an operation of the refrigerating cycle,the functional component is controlled to control an operation of therefrigerating cycle, thereby generating a non-electrical motive power,by which the channel selector valve is passively controlled, therefore,upon a selector operation of a valve such as a four-way selector valveprovided in the refrigerating cycle for selecting a channel of fluid,prevention of environmental pollution and energy saving and the like areeffectively achieved.

[1058] According to a device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 59, the functional componentis controlled to control an operation of the refrigerating cycle,thereby a physical quantity or a rate of change in the physical quantityis generated as a non-electrical motive power, by which the channelselector valve is passively controlled, therefore, upon a selectoroperation of a valve such as a four-way selector valve provided in therefrigerating cycle for selecting a channel of fluid, prevention ofenvironmental pollution and energy saving and the like are effectivelyachieved.

[1059] According to a device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 60, by using amicrocomputer, which controls an operation of the refrigerating cycle,the functional component is controlled to control an operation of therefrigerating cycle, thereby a physical quantity or a rate of change inthe physical quantity is generated as a non-electrical motive power, bywhich the channel selector valve is passively controlled, therefore,upon a selector operation of a valve such as a four-way selector valveprovided in the refrigerating cycle for selecting a channel of fluid,prevention of environmental pollution and energy saving and the like areeffectively achieved.

[1060] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 61, the device actssimilarly to the device described in claim 57, 58, 59 or 60, inaddition, in order to generate a non-electrical motive power forcontrolling the channel selector valve, the functional component iscontrolled on the basis of a physical quantity, which concerns with acontrol of an operation of the refrigerating cycle, selected from thegroup consisting of a pressure, temperature, rate of flow, voltage,current, electrical frequency and mechanical oscillation frequency,therefore, upon a selector operation of a valve such as a four-wayselector valve provided in the refrigerating cycle for selecting achannel of fluid, prevention of environmental pollution and energysaving and the like are effectively achieved.

[1061] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 62, the device actssimilarly to the device described in claim 57, 58, 59 or 60, inaddition, the physical quantity, which is the non-electrical motivepower and is generated by the refrigerating cycle, is a pressure,differential pressure or rate of flow with respect to fluid existing inthe channel selector valve, and the rate of change in a physicalquantity, which is the non-electrical motive power and is generated bythe refrigerating cycle, is a rate of change in pressure, rate of changein differential pressure or rate of change in rate of flow with respectto the fluid, therefore, upon a selector operation of a valve such as afour-way selector valve provided in the refrigerating cycle forselecting a channel of fluid, prevention of environmental pollution andenergy saving and the like are effectively achieved.

[1062] According to a device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 63, an operational conditionof the refrigerating cycle is commanded from an operation commandsection and a physical quantity generated by the refrigerating cycle isdetected in a physical quantity detector section, then the controlsection receives input signals sent from the operation command sectionand the physical quantity detector section. Then, the control sectionsends output signals to a driving section that drives a drive source ofat least one of a plurality of functional components communicated to therefrigerating cycle so as to control said functional component, and thedevice generates a non-electrical motive power by controlling therefrigerating cycle and passively controls the channel selector valve bysaid motive power, therefore, upon a selector operation of a valve suchas a four-way selector valve provided in the refrigerating cycle forselecting a channel of fluid, prevention of environmental pollution andenergy saving and the like are effectively achieved.

[1063] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 64, the device actssimilarly to the device described in claim 63, the control sectioncontrols at least one of a plurality of functional componentscommunicated to the refrigerating cycle so as to start an operation ofthe refrigerating cycle, thereby controlling the channel selector valvein a state corresponding to the start of an operation, which iscommanded by the operation command section, therefore, upon a selectoroperation of a valve such as a four-way selector valve provided in therefrigerating cycle for selecting a channel of fluid, prevention ofenvironmental pollution and energy saving and the like are effectivelyachieved.

[1064] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 65, the device actssimilarly to the device described in claim 64, in addition, the controlsection starts to operate a compressor communicated to the refrigeratingcycle in a direction of inverse rotation when the control sectiondecides to select the channel selector valve on the basis of a commandof the operation command section, thereby a channel is selected by thecahnnel selector valve, therefore, upon a selector operation of a valvesuch as a four-way selector valve provided in the refrigerating cyclefor selecting a channel of fluid, prevention of environmental pollutionand energy saving and the like are effectively achieved.

[1065] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 66, the device actssimilarly to the device described in claim 63, in addition, the controlsection controls at least one of a plurality of functional componentscommunicated to the refrigerating cycle so as to operate therefrigerating cycle, thereby controlling the channel selector valve in astate corresponding to the operation, which is commanded by theoperation command section, therefore, upon a selector operation of avalve such as a four-way selector valve provided in the refrigeratingcycle for selecting a channel of fluid, prevention of environmentalpollution and energy saving and the like are effectively achieved.

[1066] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 67, the device actssimilarly to the device described in claim 63, in addition, the controlsection controls at least one of a plurality of functional componentscommunicated to the refrigerating cycle so as to halt an operation ofthe refrigerating cycle, thereby controlling the channel selector valvein a state corresponding to the halt of the operation, which iscommanded by the operation command section, therefore, upon a selectoroperation of a valve such as a four-way selector valve provided in therefrigerating cycle for selecting a channel of fluid, prevention ofenvironmental pollution and energy saving and the like are effectivelyachieved.

[1067] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 68, the device actssimilarly to the device as described in any one of claims 63-67, inaddition, the channel selector valve is constructed in a manner that amovable member moves so as to select a channel, and the control sectioncomprises at least one unit selected from the group consisting of: amemory unit for memorizing position data of the movable member of thechannel selector valve; a comparison unit and a judge unit for comparingand judging, respectively, the position data and operation command data;and a learning unit learning on the basis of physical quantity data by acontrol of functional components and control data of the channelselector valve, therefore, upon a selector operation of a valve such asa four-way selector valve provided in the refrigerating cycle forselecting a channel of fluid, prevention of environmental pollution andenergy saving and the like are effectively achieved, and in addition, asecure control of the refrigerating cycle can be performed.

[1068] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 69, the device actssimilarly to the device as described in claim 68, in addition, thecontrol section receives the input signals, performs a predeterminedprocessing and judges whether a channel is to be changed or not to bechanged by the channel selector valve, then confirms a position on thebasis of present position data, then sends the output signals to thedriving section so as to control the functional components in therefrigerating cycle, then receives new input signals after apredetermined period of time, confirms a position of the movable member,and sets position data of said position as new present position datawhen said position is changed to a new position, therefore, upon aselector operation of a valve such as a four-way selector valve providedin the refrigerating cycle for selecting a channel of fluid, preventionof environmental pollution and energy saving and the like areeffectively achieved, and in addition, a secure control of therefrigerating cycle can be performed.

[1069] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 70, the device actssimilarly to the device as described in claim 69, in addition, thecontrol section confirms a position of the movable member by at leastone temperature detection means, at least one pressure detection means,at least one magnetic detection means, at least one current detectionmeans or a combination thereof after a predetermined period of time, andthen installs position data corresponding to said position into thememory unit of the control section, therefore, upon a selector operationof a valve such as a four-way selector valve provided in therefrigerating cycle for selecting a channel of fluid, prevention ofenvironmental pollution and energy saving and the like are effectivelyachieved, and in addition, a secure control of the refrigerating cyclecan be performed.

[1070] According to a device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 71, a microcomputer thatcontrols the refrigerating cycle is used, thereby controlling at leastone of a plurality of functional components communicated to therefrigerating cycle so as to control the refrigerating cycle, and inorder to control the driving section for driving the functionalcomponent so that the position of the movable member is to be moved ornot to be moved, the microcomputer performs a processing consisting ofthe steps of:

[1071] receiving input signals; confirming a position by taking outpresent position data of a movable member installed in a memory unit;carrying out an operation to decide whether the movable member is to bemoved. of not to be moved, comparing, and judging; selecting anddeciding a driving section; outputting drive signals to the drivingsection selected and decided; judging a position of the movable memberby input signals after a predetermined period of time, with or withoutmoving a position of the movable member by a physical quantity generatedby at least one functional component that is selected and decided insaid step of selecting and deciding or a rate of the physical quantity;and installing position data of a position of the movable member intothe memory unit when said position is changed to a new position,

[1072] therefore, upon a selector operation of a valve such as afour-way selector valve provided in the refrigerating cycle forselecting a channel of fluid, prevention of environmental pollution andenergy saving and the like are effectively achieved, and in addition, asecure control of the refrigerating cycle can be performed.

[1073] According to a device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 72, an operational conditionof the refrigerating cycle is commanded from an operation commandsection and a physical quantity generated by the refrigerating cycle isdetected in a physical quantity detector section, then the controlsection receives input signals sent from the operation command sectionand the physical quantity detector section. Then, the control sectionsends output signals to a driving section that drives a drive source ofat least one of a plurality of functional components communicated to therefrigerating cycle so as to control said functional component forcontrolling an operation of the refrigerating cycle, and when judging toselect a channel by using the channel selector valve on the basis of acommand of the operation command section, the control section sendsoutput signals to a driving section for driving a power source of acompressor so as to start an operation of the compressor of therefrigerating cycle and starts an operation of the refrigerant cycle soas to generate a motive power exceeding a first predetermined motivepower, thereby the channel selector valve is passively controlled.Therefore, upon a selector operation of a valve such as a four-wayselector valve provided in the refrigerating cycle for selecting achannel of fluid, prevention of environmental pollution and energysaving and the like are effectively achieved, and in addition, a securecontrol of the refrigerating cycle can be performed.

[1074] According to a device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 73, an operational conditionof the refrigerating cycle is commanded from an operation commandsection and a physical quantity generated by the refrigerating cycle isdetected in a physical quantity detector section, then the controlsection receives input signals sent from the operation command sectionand the physical quantity detector section. Then, the control sectionsends output signals to a driving section that drives a drive source ofat least one of a plurality of functional components communicated to therefrigerating cycle so as to control said functional component forcontrolling an operation of the refrigerating cycle, and when judging toselect a channel by using the channel selector valve on the basis of acommand of the operation command section, the control section sendsoutput signals to a driving section for driving a power source of acompressor so as to start an operation of the compressor in a directionof inverse rotation and starts an operation of the refrigerant cycle soas to generate a motive power exceeding a third predetermined motivepower, thereby the channel selector valve is passively controlled.Therefore, upon a selector operation of a valve such as a four-wayselector valve provided in the refrigerating cycle for selecting achannel of fluid, prevention of environmental pollution and energysaving and the like are effectively achieved, and in addition, a securecontrol of the refrigerating cycle can be performed.

[1075] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 74, the device actssimilarly to the device as described in claim 72 or 73, in addition, thechannel selector valve selects a channel by moving the movable memberbetween the first and second positions in response to an internal motivepower, the control section memorizes position data corresponding to thefirst or second position of the movable member in a memory unit thereof,the control section starts an operation of the refrigerating cycle whenthe position data indicates the second or first position, halts theoperation of the refrigerating cycle with renewing position data in thememory unit to the first or second position, respectively, after a firstpredetermined period of time, and keeps the operation of therefrigerating cycle standby during a third predetermined period of time.Therefore, upon a selector operation of a valve such as a four-wayselector valve provided in the refrigerating cycle for selecting achannel of fluid, prevention of environmental pollution and energysaving and the like are effectively achieved, and in addition, a securecontrol of the refrigerating cycle can be performed.

[1076] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 75, the device actssimilarly to the device as described in claim 72, in addition, thecontrol section operates the compressor in a specific frequencyimmediately after starting the operation of the compressor and starts anoperation of the refrigerating cycle so that a motive power exceeding afirst predetermined motive power is generated as an internal motivepower of the channel selector valve. Therefore, upon a selectoroperation of a valve such as a four-way selector valve provided in therefrigerating cycle for selecting a channel of fluid, prevention ofenvironmental pollution and energy saving and the like are effectivelyachieved.

[1077] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 76, the device actssimilarly to the device as described in claim 72, in addition, thecontrol section starts an operation of the compressor with a firstpredetermined capacity, therefore, upon a selector operation of a valvesuch as a four-way selector valve provided in the refrigerating cyclefor selecting a channel of fluid, prevention of environmental pollutionand energy saving and the like are effectively achieved.

[1078] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 77, the device actssimilarly to the device as described in claim 72, in addition, thecontrol section starts an operation of the compressor with a secondpredetermined capacity so that a motive power lower than a firstpredetermined motive power is generated as an internal motive power ofthe channel selector valve, then operates the refrigerating cycle for afourth predetermined period of time, then halts the operation of therefrigerating cycle for a fifth predetermined period of time, and thenstarts an operation of the compressor with a first predeterminedcapacity so that a motive power exceeding a first predetermined motivepower is generated as an internal motive power of the channel selectorvalve. Therefore, upon a selector operation of a valve such as afour-way selector valve provided in the refrigerating cycle forselecting a channel of fluid, prevention of environmental pollution andenergy saving and the like are effectively achieved.

[1079] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 78, the device actssimilarly to the device as described in claim 72, in addition, thecontrol section sends output signals to a throttle device drivingsection so that an opening ratio of a throttle device of therefrigerating cycle is almost fully opened or almost fully closed,therefore, upon a selector operation of a valve such as a four-wayselector valve provided in the refrigerating cycle for selecting achannel of fluid, prevention of environmental pollution and energysaving and the like are effectively achieved.

[1080] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 79, the device actssimilarly to the device as described in claim 72, in addition, thecontrol section sends output signals to a heat exchanger motor drivingsection so that a heat exchanger motor of the refrigerating cycle iskept halted, therefore, upon a selector operation of a valve such as afour-way selector valve provided in the refrigerating cycle forselecting a channel of fluid, prevention of environmental pollution andenergy saving and the like are effectively achieved.

[1081] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 80, the device actssimilarly to the device as described in claim 72, 75, 76 or 77, inaddition, once the control section starts an operation of thecompressor, the control section sends output signals to the compressordriving section after a first predetermined period of time and drivesthe power source of the compressor so that a motive power exceeding asecond predetermined motive power is generated, thereby operating therefrigerating cycle. Therefore, upon a selector operation of a valvesuch as a four-way selector valve provided in the refrigerating cyclefor selecting a channel of fluid, prevention of environmental pollutionand energy saving and the like are effectively achieved, and inaddition, a secure control of the refrigerating cycle can be performed.

[1082] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 81, the device actssimilarly to the device as described in claim 78, in addition, once thecontrol section starts an operation of the compressor, the controlsection sends output signals to the throttle device driving section soas to set the opening ratio of the throttle device a predeterminedopening ratio after a first predetermined period of time, therefore,upon a selector operation of a valve such as a four-way selector valveprovided in the refrigerating cycle for selecting a channel of fluid,prevention of environmental pollution and energy saving and the like areeffectively achieved, and in addition, a secure control of therefrigerating cycle can be performed.

[1083] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 82, the device actssimilarly to the device as described in claim 79, in addition, once thecontrol section starts an operation of the compressor, the controlsection sends output signals to the heat exchanger motor driving sectionafter a second predetermined period of time so as to start an operationof the heat exchanger motor, sends output signals to the compressordriving section so as to generate a motive power lower than a firstpredetermined motive power, and drives the power source of thecompressor so as to generate a motive power exceeding a secondpredetermined motive power, thereby operating the refrigerating cycle.Therefore, upon a selector operation of a valve such as a four-wayselector valve provided in the refrigerating cycle for selecting achannel of fluid, prevention of environmental pollution and energysaving and the like are effectively achieved, and in addition, a securecontrol of the refrigerating cycle can be performed.

[1084] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 83, the device actssimilarly to the device as described in claim 80, 81 or 82, in addition,when the control section performs a predetermined processing and judgesto select a channel by the channel selector valve or to halt anoperation of the refrigerating cycle, the control section sends outputsignals to the compressor driving section: to drive the power source ofthe compressor with a third predetermined capacity so as to generate amotive power lower than a second predetermined motive power; or to haltthe operation of the compressor, thereby halting the operation of therefrigerating cycle. Therefore, upon a selector operation of a valvesuch as a four-way selector valve provided in the refrigerating cyclefor selecting a channel of fluid, prevention of environmental pollutionand energy saving and the like are effectively achieved.

[1085] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 84, the device actssimilarly to the device as described in claim 72, in addition, when thecontrol section performs a predetermined processing and judges to selecta channel by the channel selector valve or to halt an operation of therefrigerating cycle, the control section sends output signals to thecompressor driving section to halt the operation of the compressor, thenkeeps the refrigerating cycle standby for a third predetermined periodof time, then sends output signals to the compressor driving section tostart the operation of the compressor, then renews position data in amemory unit to a first or second position after a first predeterminedperiod of time, thereby halting the operation of the compressor again.Therefore, upon a selector operation of a valve such as a four-wayselector valve provided in the refrigerating cycle for selecting achannel of fluid, prevention of environmental pollution and energysaving and the like are effectively achieved, and in addition, a securecontrol of the refrigerating cycle can be performed.

[1086] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 85, the device actssimilarly to the device as described in claim 72, 74 or 84, in addition,when positional data memorized by a memory unit of the control sectionindicate a first or second position, the control section starts anoperation of the refrigerating cycle so that a motive power exceeding afirst predetermined motive power is generated as an internal motivepower of the channel selector valve. Therefore, upon a selectoroperation of a valve such as a four-way selector valve provided in therefrigerating cycle for selecting a channel of fluid, prevention ofenvironmental pollution and energy saving and the like are effectivelyachieved, and in addition, a secure control of the refrigerating cyclecan be performed.

[1087] According to a device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 86, an operational conditionof the refrigerating cycle is commanded from an operation commandsection and a physical quantity generated by the refrigerating cycle isdetected in a physical quantity detector section, then the controlsection receives input signals sent from the operation command sectionand the physical quantity detector section. Then, the control sectionsends output signals to a driving section that drives a drive source ofat least one of a plurality of functional components communicated to therefrigerating cycle so as to control said functional component forcontrolling an operation of the refrigerating cycle, and when judgingnot to select (i.e. not to switch) a channel by using the channelselector valve on the basis of a command of the operation commandsection, the control section sends output signals to a driving sectionfor driving a power source of a compressor so as to start an operationof the compressor of the refrigerating cycle and starts an operation ofthe refrigerant cycle so as to generate a motive power lower than afirst predetermined motive power, thereby the channel selector valve ispassively controlled. Therefore, upon a selector operation of a valvesuch as a four-way selector valve provided in the refrigerating cyclefor selecting a channel of fluid, prevention of environmental pollutionand energy saving and the like are effectively achieved.

[1088] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 87, the device actssimilarly to the device as described in claim 86, in addition, thecontrol section starts an operation of the compressor with a secondpredetermined capacity, therefore, upon a selector operation of a valvesuch as a four-way selector valve provided in the refrigerating cyclefor selecting a channel of fluid, prevention of environmental pollutionand energy saving and the like are effectively achieved.

[1089] According to a device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 88, an operational conditionof the refrigerating cycle is commanded from an operation commandsection and a physical quantity generated by the refrigerating cycle isdetected in a physical quantity detector section, then the controlsection receives input signals sent from the operation command sectionand the physical quantity detector section. Then, the control sectionsends output signals to a driving section that drives a drive source ofat least one of a plurality of functional components communicated to therefrigerating cycle so as to control said functional component forcontrolling an operation of the refrigerating cycle, and when judgingnot to select (i.e. not to switch) a channel by using the channelselector valve on the basis of a command of the operation commandsection, the control section sends output signals to a driving sectionfor driving a power source of a compressor so as to start an operationof the compressor of the refrigerating cycle and starts an operation ofthe refrigerant cycle so as to generate a motive power exceeding a firstpredetermined motive power, thereby the channel selector valve ispassively controlled. Therefore, upon a selector operation of a valvesuch as a four-way selector valve provided in the refrigerating cyclefor selecting a channel of fluid, prevention of environmental pollutionand energy saving and the like are effectively achieved.

[1090] According to the device for controlling a refrigerating cycle ofthe present invention as described in claim 89, the device actssimilarly to the device as described in claim 88, in addition, when thecontrol section performs a predetermined processing and judges to haltan operation of the refrigerating cycle, the control section sendsoutput signals to the compressor driving section so as to halt theoperation of the compressor, then keeps the refrigerating cycle standbyfor a third predetermined period of time without renewing position datain a memory unit. Therefore, upon a selector operation of a valve suchas a four-way selector valve provided in the refrigerating cycle forselecting a channel of fluid, prevention of environmental pollution andenergy saving and the like are effectively achieved, and in addition, asecure control of the refrigerating cycle can be performed.

1. A channel selector valve for selecting a channel of fluidcharacterized in that the channel is selected by employing non-electricmotive power.
 2. The channel selector valve according to claim 1,wherein a drive source provided separately from the channel selectorvalve generates said non-electric motive power, by which the channel ispassively selected.
 3. The channel selector valve according to claim 2,wherein the drive source comprises at least one of element components ina refrigerating cycle having the channel selector valve and the channelis passively selected by using the motive power generated by said atleast one of the element components.
 4. The channel selector valveaccording to claim 3, wherein said motive power is generated due to achange in physical quantity, which arises in the refrigerating cyclefrom an action of said at least one of the element components.
 5. Thechannel selector valve according to claim 4, wherein said change inphysical quantity is at least one change among changes in pressure,differential pressure and flow rate of fluid in the channel selectorvalve, said changes arising from an action of said at least one of theelement components.
 6. A channel selector valve for selecting a channelof fluid comprising: a movable member moving between a first positionand a second position in a housing of the channel selector valve; anddriving means for driving the movable member between the first positionand the second position by employing non-electric motive power, whereina first selector port out of two selector ports of the housingcommunicates with a main port of the housing through the interior of thehousing when the movable member is situated at the first position, whilea second selector port out of the two selector ports of the housingcommunicates with a main port of the housing through the interior of thehousing when the movable member is situated at the second position. 7.The channel selector valve according to claim 6, wherein a drive sourcegenerating said non-electric motive power comprises at least one ofelement components in a refrigerating cycle having the channel selectorvalve, a change in physical quantity, which arises in the refrigeratingcycle from an action of said at least one of element components, isemployed as at least a part of said motive power, thereby the channel ispassively selected.
 8. The channel selector valve according to claim 7,wherein said change in physical quantity is at least one change amongchanges in pressure, differential pressure and flow rate of fluid in thechannel selector valve, said changes arising from an action of said atleast one of the element components.
 9. A channel selector valveconstituted as a four-way selector valve by combining a first and secondthree-way selector valves, each of which is constituted by the channelselector valve according to claim 6, 7 or
 8. 10. The channel selectorvalve according to claim 9, wherein the channel selector valve isconstituted as a four-way selector valve by the first and secondthree-way selector valves, the main port of the first three-way selectorvalve is an inlet port formed in the housing, through which fluidintroduced from the exterior to the interior of the housing of the firstthree-way selector valve passes, while the main port of the secondthree-way selector valve is an outlet port formed in the housing,through which the fluid discharged from the interior to the exterior ofthe housing of the second three-way selector valve passes, the firstselector port of the first three-way selector valve is connected to thesecond selector port of the second three-way selector valve, while thesecond selector port of the first three-way selector valve is connectedto the first selector port of the second three-way selector valve, themovable member of the second three-way selector valve moves to thesecond position when the movable member of the first three-way selectorvalve moves to the first position, while the movable member of thesecond three-way selector valve moves to the first position when themovable member of the first three-way selector valve moves to the secondposition.
 11. The channel selector valve according to claim 10, whereinsaid driving means of the first three-way selector valve comprises: afirst drive mechanism that moves the movable member situated at thefirst position of the first three-way selector valve to the secondposition when a difference between a fluid pressure at the firstselector port in the first three-way selector valve and a fluid pressureat the second selector port cancels out; and a second-drive mechanismthat moves the movable member situated at the second position of thefirst three-way selector valve to the first position when a differencebetween a fluid pressure at the first selector port in the firstthree-way selector valve and a fluid pressure at the second selectorport cancels out.
 12. The channel selector valve according to claim 11,wherein the first and second three-way selector valves are constructedso that the main port is isolated from the second selector port when themovable member is situated between the first position and a thirdposition where is nearer to the second position than the first position,while that the main port is isolated from the first selector port whenthe movable member is situated between the second position and a fourthposition where is between the second position and the third position,the first drive mechanism comprises first storing means for storingenergizing force to move the movable member of the first three-wayselector valve from the first position to the fourth position, by afluid pressure being higher than a first predetermined value of the mainport, when the movable member of the first three-way selector valve issituated at the first position, said energizing force being less thanthe first predetermined value, and the second drive mechanism comprisessecond storing means for storing energizing force to move the movablemember of the first three-way selector valve from the second position tothe third position, by a fluid pressure being higher than a secondpredetermined value of the main port, when the movable member of thefirst three-way selector valve is situated at the second position, saidenergizing force being less than the second predetermined value.
 13. Thechannel selector valve according to claim 6, 7 or 8, wherein the mainport is an inlet port formed in the housing, through which fluidintroduced from the exterior to the interior of the housing passes, thehousing further comprises an outlet port, through which the fluiddischarged from the interior to the exterior of the housing passes, whenthe movable member is situated at the first position, the inlet port andthe first selector port are communicated with each other inside thehousing, while the outlet port and the second selector port arecommunicated with each other inside the housing, when the movable memberis situated at the second position, the inlet port and the secondselector port are communicated with each other inside the housing, whilethe outlet port and the first selector port are communicated with eachother inside the housing.
 14. The channel selector valve according toclaim 13, wherein the movable member partitions the interior of thehousing into a first and second pressure chambers and also forms a firstand second spaces in the first pressure chamber, the inlet port isformed in the housing so as to communicate with the first space and theoutlet port is formed in the housing so as to communicate with thesecond space, when the movable member is situated at the first position,the fluid introduced from the exterior of the housing into the firstspace by way of the inlet port is discharged to the first selector port,while the fluid discharged from the second space to the exterior of thehousing by way of the outlet port is introduced from the second selectorport, when the movable member is situated at the second position, thefluid introduced from the exterior of the housing into the first spaceby way of the inlet port is discharged to the second selector port,while the fluid discharged from the second space to the exterior of thehousing by way of the outlet port is introduced from the first selectorport.
 15. A method of driving the channel selector valve as claimed inclaim 14, comprising the steps of: communicating the first space to thesecond pressure chamber through an equalizing path formed in the movablemember; energizing the movable member in a direction of moving from thesecond position to the first position by energizing means forenergizing; and applying a force to the movable member from the firstpressure chamber side by fluid introduced from the exterior of thehousing into the first space by way of the inlet port, said force beingstronger than a resultant force consisting of an energizing force bysaid energizing means and a force applied to the movable member by fluidin the second pressure chamber introduced from the first space by way ofsaid equalizing path, thereby the movable member moves from the firstposition to the second position.
 16. The channel selector valveaccording to claim 14, wherein the housing has a valve seat disposed inthe first pressure chamber, the outlet port and the two selector portsare disposed on the valve seat, the second space moves on the valve seatresponding to a movement of the movable member moving between the firstand second positions, and a place with which the outlet portcommunicates by way of the second space is selected to be either thefirst selector port or the second selector port.
 17. A method of drivingthe channel selector valve as claimed in claim 16, comprising the stepsof: communicating the first space to the second pressure chamber throughan equalizing path formed in the movable member; energizing the movablemember in a direction of moving from the second position to the firstposition by energizing means for energizing; and applying a force to themovable member from the first pressure chamber side by fluid introducedfrom the exterior of the housing into the first space by way of theinlet port, said force being stronger than a resultant force consistingof an energizing force by said energizing means, a force applied to themovable member by fluid in the second pressure chamber introduced fromthe first space by way of said equalizing path, and a static frictionforce between the valve seat and the movable member, whereby the movablemember moves from the first position to the second position and themovable member is kept staying at the second position by the staticfriction force between the valve seat and the movable member against anenergizing force of the energizing means, after a difference between apressure of fluid in the first space and that in the second pressurechamber decreases due to circulation of fluid between the first spaceand the second pressure chamber through the equalizing path.
 18. Thechannel selector valve according to claim 14 or 16, wherein the drivingmeans comprises: a third drive mechanism that moves the movable memberfrom one position out of the first and second positions toward anopposite position; and a fourth drive mechanism that moves the movablemember from the opposite position toward the one position, wherein thethird and fourth drive mechanisms employ a change in physical quantityof the interior of the housing due to fluid introduced into the interiorof the housing at least as a part of the motive power.
 19. The channelselector valve according to claim 18, wherein the movable memberpartitions the interior of the housing into the first pressure chamber,the second pressure chamber, and a third pressure chamber situated sothat the first pressure chamber is sandwiched between the second andthird pressure chambers, the channel selector valve further comprises anon-electrically-driven pilot valve that selectively communicates theoutlet port to either the second pressure chamber or the third pressurechamber, said pilot valve comprises: a second housing having a secondmain port that is provided outside the housing and communicates with theoutlet port; and a selector valeve element that patitions the interiorof the second housing into a fourth pressure chamber communicating withthe third pressure chamber and a fifth pressure chamber communicatingwith the second pressure chamber, and that is movable in the secondhousing between a fifth position where the second main port communicateswith the fourth pressure chamber and a sixth position where the secondmain port communicates with the fifth pressure chamber, due to adifference between a pressure of fluid in the second pressure chamberand that in the third pressure chamber.
 20. The channel selector valveaccording to claim 19, further comprising second driving means to movethe selector valve element from one position out of the fifth and sixthpositions to an opposire position when the difference between a pressureof fluid in the second pressure chamber and that in the third pressurechamber cancels out.
 21. The channel selector valve according to claim20, wherein the movable member has a first equalizing path communicatingthe first space to the second pressure chamber and a second equalizingpath communicating the first space to the third pressure chamber, themovable member has a first subvalve that isolates the third pressurechamber from the fourth pressure chamber when the movable member issituated at the first position and that communicates the third pressurechamber to the fourth pressure chamber when the movable member issituated at the second position, and has a second subvalve thatcommunicates the second pressure chamber to the fifth pressure chamberwhen the movable member is situated at the first position and thatisolates the second pressure chamber from the fifth pressure chamberwhen the movable member is situated at the second position, the pilotvalve communicates the second main port to the fourth pressure chamberwhen the selector valve element is situated between the fifth positionand a seventh position located nearer to the sixth position than thefifth position, and communicates the second main port to the fifthpressure chamber when the selector valve element is situated between thesixth position and a eighth position located between the sixth positionand the seventh position, and the second driving means has third andfourth storing means for storing energizing force, the third storingmeans for storing energizing force stores an energizing force, which isless than a third predetermined value, to move the selector valveelement from the fifth position to the eighth position due to a fluidpressure in the fifth pressure chamber exceeding the third predeterminedvalue when the selector valve element is situated at the fifth position,and the fourth storing means for storing energizing force stores anenergizing force, which is less than a fourth predetermined value, tomove the selector valve element from the sixth position to the seventhposition due to a fluid pressure in the fourth pressure chamberexceeding the fourth predetermined value when the selector valve elementis situated at the sixth position.
 22. The channel selector valveaccording to claim 19, wherein a third main port communicating with theinlet port is further formed in the second housing, the third main portcommunicates with the fifth pressure chamber when the selector valveelement is situated between the fifth and seventh positions andcommunicates with the fourth pressure chamber when the selector valveelement is situated between the sixth and eighth positions, and thechannel selector valve further comprises second driving means for movingthe selector valve element either from the fifth position to the eighthposition or from the sixth position to the seventh position when thedifference between a pressure of fluid in the second pressure chamberand that in the third pressure chamber cancels out.
 23. The channelselector valve according to claim 22, wherein the second driving meanshas third and fourth storing means for storing energizing force, thethird storing means for storing energizing force stores an energizingforce, which is less than a third predetermined value, to move theselector valve element from the fifth position to the eighth positiondue to a fluid pressure in the fifth pressure chamber exceeding thethird predetermined value when the selector valve element is situated atthe fifth position, and the fourth storing means for storing energizingforce stores an energizing force, which is less than a fourthpredetermined value, to move the selector valve element from the sixthposition to the seventh position due to a fluid pressure in the fourthpressure chamber exceeding the fourth predetermined value when theselector valve element is situated at the sixth position.
 24. Thechannel selector valve according to claim 14 or 16, wherein the drivingmeans comprises: a third drive mechanism to move the movable member fromone position out of the first and second positions to an oppositeposition; and a fourth drive mechanism to move the movable member fromthe opposite position to the one position, wherein one drive mechanismout of the third and fourth drive mechanisms employs a change inphysical quantity of the interior of the housing due to fluid introducedinto the interior of the housing at least as a part of the motive power,while an opposite drive mechanism employs an energizing force that isapplied to the movable member by energizing means received in theinterior of the housing at least as a part of the motive power.
 25. Thechannel selector valve according to claim 24, further comprising a latchmechanism that selectively controls a movement of the movable memberfrom one position out of the first and second positions toward anopposite position.
 26. The channel selector valve according to claim 25,wherein the latch mechanism selectively performs a first and secondstates, in the first state, a movement of the movable member to theopposite position by the driving means is controlled at the firstposition, and in the second state, a movement of the movable member fromthe one position to the opposite position by the driving means isallowed.
 27. The channel selector valve according to claim 26, whereinthe latch mechanism comprises a latch piece that moves in the housingfollowing a movement of the movable member between the first and secondpositions, and in a first state of the latch mechanism, a movement ofthe latch piece is controlled, thereby a movement of the movable memberis controlled at the one position.
 28. A method of driving the channelselector valve as claimed in claim 26 or 27, wherein when the movablemember, a movement of which to the opposite position is controlled bythe latch mechanism and situated at the one position, is moved to theopposite position, the movable member is once moved by the driving meansin a direction of moving from the opposite position to the one position,then is moved from the one position to the opposite position, and whenthe movable member situated at the opposite position is moved to the oneposition, the movable member is once moved by the driving means in adirection of moving from the one position to the opposite position, thenis moved from the opposite position to the one position.
 29. The channelselector valve according to claim 24, further comprising: avalve-opening member that moves from a valve-closing position to avalve-opening position by the motive power while the third drivemechanism generates the motive power; a pilot path that is opened from avalve closing state thereof by the valve-opening member moved from thevalve-closing position to the valve-opening position; an attenuationmechanism acting when the pilot path is open, which attenuates themotive power generated by the fourth drive mechanism so as to preventthe movable member from moving from the opposite position to the oneposition; and a second latch mechanism to selectively control a movementof the valve-opening member from the valve-closing position to thevalve-opening position.
 30. The channel selector valve according toclaim 29, wherein the second latch mechanism alternately repeats a thirdand fourth states, in the third state, a movement of the valve-openingmember to the valve-opening position is controlled at the valve-closingposition, and in the fourth state, a movement of the valve-openingmember from the valve-closing position to the valve-opening position isallowed.
 31. A method of driving the channel selector valve as claimedin claim 29 or 30, wherein when the movable member situated at the oneposition is moved to the opposite position, a generation of the motivepower by the third drive mechanism is once halted, then the generationthereof by the third drive mechanism is started again and then, themotive power generated by the third drive mechanism is maintained to bea predetermined value exceeding the motive power, which is generated bythe fourth drive mechanism and attenuated by the attenuation mechanism,and when the movable member situated at the opposite position is movedto the one position, a generation of the motive power by the third drivemechanism is halted, then the movable member is moved from the oppositeposition to the one position by the fourth drive mechanism.
 32. Thechannel selector valve according to claim 24, wherein the driving meanscomprises a communication pipe that always communicates the secondpressure chamber to the first selector port outside the housing.
 33. Thechannel selector valve according to claim 24, wherein the driving meanscomprises a state-holding mechanism to hold the movable member, which ismoved from the first position to the second position, at the secondposition.
 34. The channel selector valve according to claim 33, whereinthe state-holding mechanism comprises: a state-holding selector valveprovided in the second pressure chamber, which by a selecting action ofa second selector valve element selects either a first state or a secondstate, in said first state the second pressure chamber communiates withthe exterior of the housing through a first introducing port and in saidsecond state the second pressure chamber communicates with the exteriorof the housing through a second introducing port; and energizing meansfor energizing the selector valve, which energizes the second selectorvalve element so that the state-holding selector valve in the secondstate selects the first state, the movable member allows the energizingmeans for energizing the selector valve to energize the second selectorvalve element when the movable menber is situated at the first position,while the movable member makes the second selector valve element act aselection so that the state-holding selector valve selects the secondstate against an energizing by the energizing means for energizing theselector valve when the movable menber is situated at the secondposition.
 35. The channel selector valve according to claim 34, whereinthe energizing means energizes the movable member in a direction ofmoving from the second position to the first position, and a pressure offluid, which is introduced from the exterior of the housing into thefirst space by way of the inlet port, acts on the movable member in adirection of moving from the first position to the second position. 36.A method of driving the channel selector valve as claimed in claim 35,wherein when the movable member moves from the first position to thesecond position, a pressure of fluid introduced into the first spacefrom the exterior of the housing by way of the inlet port is set higherthan a predetermined value, so that a force, which is applied to themovable member by fluid existing in the first space in a direction fromthe first position to, the second position, is set stronger than aforce, which is applied to the movable member by fluid existing in theplace to which the second pressure chamber is communicated in adirection from the second position to the first position, after themovable member has moved from the first position to the second position,a pressure of fluid existing in the first space and a pressure of fluidexisting in the second pressure chamber are set so that the movablemember is kept staying at the second position.
 37. The channel selectorvalve according to claim 7, wherein the element component is anelectrically-driven expansion valve provided in the refrigerating cycleand the change in physical quantity is a change in pressure of fluid dueto a change in an opening ratio of the electrically-driven expansionvalve.
 38. The channel selector valve according to claim 7, wherein theelement component is a compressor provided in the refrigerating cycleand the change in physical quantity is a change in a frequency of amechanical oscillation generated by the compressor.
 39. The channelselector valve according to claim 7, wherein the element component is aheat exchanger provided in the refrigerating cycle and the change inphysical quantity is a change in pressure of fluid due to a change inthe amount of heat exchange by the heat exchanger.
 40. The channelselector valve according to claim 13, wherein the housing is formedcylindrical, at least the two selector ports are formed at a valve seatsituated at one end of the housing in a direction of a central axis ofthe housing, the movable member is constructed by a main valve element,which is received in the housing and rotative around the central axis,the main valve element is provided with communication means forselectively communicating a selector port out of the two selector portsto the main port, the main valve element rotates and displaces aroundthe central axis so as to move between the first and second positions,when the main valve element is situated at the first position, a firstselector port out of the two selector ports is communicated to the mainport by the communication means, and when the main valve element issituated at the second position, a second selector port out of the twoselector ports is communicated to the main port by the communicationmeans.
 41. The channel selector valve according to claim 40, wherein atleast one port out of the inlet port and the outlet port is formed atthe valve seat, an end surface of the main valve element in a directionof the central axis sits down on the valve seat, said end surface isprovided with second communication means for selectively communicatingsaid one port to a first selector port out of the two selector ports,when the main valve element is situated at the first position, thesecond communication means communicates the second selector port to saidone port, and when the main valve element is situated at the secondposition, the second communication means communicates the first selectorport to said one port.
 42. The channel selector valve according to claim41, wherein the opposite port is formed at an opposite end of thehousing in a direction of the central axis, and the communication meanshas a communication channel that communicates one end surface side ofthe main valve element to an opposite end surface side of the main valveelement in the interior of the housing.
 43. The channel selector valveaccording to claim 40, further comprising conversion means forconverting a moving direction, which converts a movement of the mainvalve element in a direction of the central axis with respect to thehousing into a movement in a rotational direction around the centralaxis, wherein the main valve element is movable in a direction of thecentral axis in the interior of the housing, and the driving means makesthe main valve element have a reciprocating motion in a direction of thecentral axis with respect to the housing.
 44. The channel selector valveaccording to claim 43, wherein the conversion means for converting amoving direction comprises: a cam groove that is provided in one out ofthe main valve element and the housing, and extends over a wholecircumference of the rotational direction; and a cam follower pin thatis provided in another out of the main valve element and the housing,and moves in the cam groove, the cam groove has a first and second camgrooves continuing with each other in the rotational direction, saidfirst cam groove is formed inclined so as to part from the valve seat ina direction of the central axis as being displaced in the rotarionaldirection, while said second cam groove is formed inclined so as to movenearer to the valve seat in a direction of the central axis as beingdisplaced in the rotational direction.
 45. The channel selector valveaccording to claim 44, wherein the cam groove is provided in thehousing, the housing comprises an outer housing and an inner housingreceived in the outer housing, the inner housing comprises a first halfand a second half divided in a direction of the central axis in a statethat the inner housing is received in the outer housing, and each guide,which constitutes the cam groove in a state that an end of the firsthalf and an end of the second half are joined with each other, is formedat the respective ends of the first and second halves.
 46. The channelselector valve according to claim 44 or 45, wherein at least one portout of the inlet port and the outlet port is formed at the valve seat,second communication means is formed at an end surface of the main valveelement, the end surface faces the valve seat, said second communicationmeans selectively communicates the opposite port to a first selectorport out of the two selector ports in a state that the end surface sitsdown on the valve seat, when the main valve element is situated at thefirst position, the second selector port is communicated to the oppositeport by the second communication means of the main valve elemnt, and theend surface of which sits down on the valve seat, and when the mainvalve element is situated at the second position, the first selectorport is communicated to the opposite port by the second communicationmeans of the main valve elemnt, and the end surface of which sits downon the valve seat.
 47. The channel selector valve according to claim 46,wherein the opposite port is formed at an opposite end side of thehousing in a direction of the central axis, and the communication meanscomprises: a communication channel that communicates one end surfaceside of the main valve element to an opposite end surface side of themain valve element in the housing; a subvalve that opens and closes thecommunication channel; subvalve energizing means for energizing thesubvalve toward a direction of closing; and valve opening means foropening the subvalve against an energizing force by the subvalveenergizing means in a state that the one end surface of the main valveelement sits down on the valve seat.
 48. The channel selector valveaccording to claim 47, wherein the housing is disposed so that theopposite end of the housing is situated lower than one end of thehousing in a direction of the central axis, and the driving meansemploys an own weight of the main valve element at least as a part ofthe motive power.
 49. The channel selector valve according to claim 47or 48, wherein the driving means employs an energizing force byenergizing means for energizing main valve element, which energizes themain valve element to part from the valve seat in a direction of thecentral axis, as a part of the motive power.
 50. The channel selectorvalve according to claim 47 or 48, wherein the driving means comprisessecond energizing means for energizing the main valve element, whichenergizes the main valve element to move nearer to the valve seat in adirection of the central axis.
 51. The channel selector valve accordingto claim 50, wherein the driving means comprises energizing means forenergizing the main valve element, which energizes the main valveelement to part from the valve seat in a direction of the central axis,due to a resultant force of an energizing force by the energizing meansfor energizing the main valve element and an energizing force by thesecond energizing means for energizing the main valve element, the camfollower pin is situated at an intermediate position of the cam grooveexcept end portions of one end side and an opposite end side of thehousing in a direction of the central axis, and the main valve elementis situated at a neutral position halfway within a reciprocating motionin a direction of the central axis when the cam follower pin is situatedat the intermediate position.
 52. The channel selector valve accordingto claim 51, wherein an end portion of the one end side of the housingin a direction of the central axis out of the cam groove is providedwith a groove that continues to a join, at which one end of the firstcam groove being situated at the one end side of the housing isconnected to one end of the second cam groove, the groove is formed sothat the one end surface of the main valve element sits down on thevalve seat in a state that the cam follower pin is situated at thegroove, the groove is disposed being displaced to the lower course thanthe join in the rotational direction, and when the main valve elementmoves in the direction away from the valve seat in a direction of thecentral axis, a movement of the cam follower pin is controlled from thegroove to a cam groove out of the first and second cam grooves, which issituated at the upper course than the groove in the rotationaldirection.
 53. The channel selector valve according to claim 51 or 52,wherein an end portion of the opposite end side of the housing in adirection of the central axis out of the cam groove is provided with asecond groove that continues to a join, at which an opposite end of thefirst cam groove being situated at the opposite end side of the housingis connected to an opposite end of the second cam groove, the secondgroove is formed so that the main valve element is the farthest awayfrom the valve seat in a state that the cam follower pin is situated atthe second groove, the second groove is disposed being displaced to thelower course than the second join in the rotational direction, and whenthe main valve element moves in the direction nearer to the valve seatin a direction of the central axis, a movement of the cam follower pinis controlled from the second groove to a cam groove out of the firstand second cam grooves, which is situated at the upper course than thesecond groove in the rotational direction.
 54. The channel selectorvalve as claimed in any one of claims 40-53, wherein slide means fordecreasing a sliding resistance between the housing and the main valveelement is provided therebetween.
 55. A compressor with the channelselector valve as claimed in any one of claims 10-14, 16, 18-27, 29-30,32-35, and 37-54, comprising: a compressor housing having an inlet,which is connected to the outlet port; a low pressure chamber that isprovided in the interior of the compressor housing and communicates withthe inlet; a high pressure chamber that is provided in the interior ofthe compressor housing and partitioned off from the low pressurechamber; and a compressing section that is provided in the interior ofthe compressor housing, compresses fluid introduced into the lowpressure chamber from the inlet, and guides the fluid into the highpressure chamber, wherein a part of the compressor housing partitioningthe high pressure housing therein is integrally formed with a part ofthe housing having the inlet port therein, thereby the interior of thepart of the housing communicates with the high pressure chamber.
 56. Adevice for controlling a refrigerating cycle, which controls a channelselector valve communicated to the refrigerating cycle, characterized inthat: the device controls at least one of a plurality of functionalcomponents communicated to the refrigerating cycle so as to control therefrigerating cycle; and the device controls the channel selector valveby controlling the functional components.
 57. A device for controlling arefrigerating cycle, which controls a channel selector valvecommunicated to the refrigerating cycle, characterized in that: thedevice controls at least one of a plurality of functional componentscommunicated to the refrigerating cycle so as to control therefrigerating cycle; and the device generates a non-electrical motivepower by controlling the functional components and passively controlsthe channel selector valve by employing the motive power.
 58. A devicefor controlling a refrigerating cycle, which controls a channel selectorvalve communicated to the refrigerating cycle, comprising: amicrocomputer that controls at least one of a plurality of functionalcomponents communicated to the refrigerating cycle so as to control therefrigerating cycle; and a control program, by which the microcomputerperforms a processing that controls the functional components so as togenerate a non-electrical motive power for passively controlling thechannel selector valve.
 59. A device for controlling a refrigeratingcycle, which controls a channel selector valve communicated to therefrigerating cycle, characterized in that: the device controls at leastone of a plurality of functional components communicated to therefrigerating cycle so as to control the refrigerating cycle; thenon-electrical motive power generated by controlling the functionalcomponents is a physical quantity or a rate of change in a physicalquantity generated by the refrigerating cycle; and the device passivelycontrols the channel selector valve by the physical quantity or the rateof change in a physical quantity.
 60. A device for controlling arefrigerating cycle, which controls a channel selector valvecommunicated to the refrigerating cycle, comprising: a microcomputerthat controls at least one of a plurality of functional componentscommunicated to the refrigerating cycle so as to control therefrigerating cycle; and a control program, by which the microcomputerperforms a processing that controls the functional components so as toallow the refrigerating cycle to generate a physical quantity or a rateof change in a physical quantity as a non-electrical motive power forpassively controlling the channel selector valve.
 61. The device forcontrolling a refrigerating cycle as claimed in any one of claims 57-60,wherein the physical quantity, which is a base for controlling thefunctional components to generate the non-electrical motive power, is aparameter selected from the group consisting of a pressure, temperature,rate of flow, voltage, current, electrical frequency and mechanicaloscillation frequency with respect to a control of the refrigeratingcycle.
 62. The device for controlling a refrigerating cycle as claimedin any one of claims 57-60, wherein the physical quantity, which is thenon-electrical motive power and is generated by the refrigerating cycle,is a pressure, differential pressure or rate of flow with respect tofluid existing in the channel selector valve, and the rate of change ina physical quantity, which is the non-electrical motive power and isgenerated by the refrigerating cycle, is a rate of change in pressure,rate of change in differential pressure or rate of change in rate offlow with respect to the fluid.
 63. A device for controlling arefrigerating cycle, which controls a channel selector valvecommunicated to the refrigerating cycle, comprising a control sectionthat receives input signals sent from an operation command section forcommanding an operational condition of the refrigerating cycle and aphysical quantity detector section for detecting a physical quantitygenerated by the refrigerating cycle, wherein the control section sendsoutput signals to a driving section that drives a drive source of atleast one of a plurality of functional components communicated to therefrigerating cycle so as to control said functional component, and thedevice generates a non-electrical motive power by controlling therefrigerating cycle and passively controls the channel selector valve bythe motive power.
 64. The device for controlling a refrigerating cycleaccording to claim 63, wherein the control section controls at least oneof a plurality of functional components communicated to therefrigerating cycle so as to start an operation of the refrigeratingcycle, thereby controlling the channel selector valve in a statecorresponding to the start of an operation, which is commanded by theoperation command section.
 65. The device for controlling arefrigerating cycle according to claim 64, wherein the control sectionstarts to operate a compressor communicated to the refrigerating cyclein a direction of inverse rotation when the control section decides toselect the channel selector valve on the basis of a command of theoperation command section.
 66. The device for controlling arefrigerating cycle according to claim 63, wherein the control sectioncontrols at least one of a plurality of functional componentscommunicated to the refrigerating cycle so as to operate therefrigerating cycle, thereby controlling the channel selector valve in astate corresponding to the operation, which is commanded by theoperation command section.
 67. The device for controlling arefrigerating cycle according to claim 63, wherein the control sectioncontrols at least one of a plurality of functional componentscommunicated to the refrigerating cycle so as to halt an operation ofthe refrigerating cycle, thereby controlling the channel selector valvein a state corresponding to the halt of the operation, which iscommanded by the operation command section.
 68. The device forcontrolling a refrigerating cycle as claimed in any one of claims 63-67,wherein the channel selector valve is constructed in a manner that amovable member moves so as to select a channel, and the control sectioncomprises at least one unit selected from the group consisting of: amemory unit for memorizing position data of the movable member of thechannel selector valve; a comparison unit and a judge unit for comparingand judging, respectively, the position data and operation command data;and a learning unit learning on the basis of physical quantity data by acontrol of functional components and control data of the channelselector valve.
 69. The device for controlling a refrigerating cycleaccording to claim 68, wherein the control section receives the inputsignals, performs a predetermined processing and judges whether achannel is to be changed or not to be changed by the channel selectorvalve, then confirms a position on the basis of present position data,then sends the output signals to the driving section so as to controlthe functional components in the refrigerating cycle, then receives newinput signals after a predetermined period of time, confirms a positionof the movable member, and sets position data of said position as newpresent position data when said position is changed to a new position.70. The device for controlling a refrigerating cycle according to claim69, wherein the control section confirms a position of the movablemember by at least one temperature detection means for detectingtemperature, at least one pressure detection means for detectingpressure, at least one magnetism detection means for detectingmagnetism, at least one current detection means for detecting current ora combination thereof after a predetermined period of time, and theninstalls position data corresponding to said position into the memoryunit of the control section.
 71. A device for controlling arefrigerating cycle, which controls a channel selector valve that iscommunicated to a refrigerating cycle and selects a channel by amovement of a movable member, comprising: a microcomputer that controlsat least one of a plurality of functional components communicated to therefrigerating cycle so as to control the refrigerating cycle; and acontrol program, by which the microcomputer performs a processingconsisting of the steps of: receiving input signals; confirming aposition by taking out present position data of a movable memberinstalled in a memory unit; carrying out an operation to decide whetherthe movable member is to be moved of not to be moved, comparing, andjudging; selecting and deciding a driving section; outputting drivesignals to the driving section selected and decided; judging a positionof the movable member by input signals after a predetermined period oftime, with or without moving a position of the movable member by aphysical quantity generated by at least one functional component that isselected and decided in said step of selecting and deciding or a rate ofthe physical quantity; and installing position data of a position of themovable member into the memory unit when said position is changed to anew position, in order to control the driving section for driving thefunctional component so that the position of the movable member is to bemoved or not to be moved.
 72. A device for controlling a refrigeratingcycle, which controls a channel selector valve communicated to therefrigerating cycle, comprising: a control section that receives inputsignals sent from an operation command section for commanding anoperation state of the refrigerating cycle and from a physical quantitydetector section for detecting a physical quantity generated by therefrigerating cycle, wherein the control section sends output signals toa driving section that drives a drive source of at least one of aplurality of functional components communicated to the refrigeratingcycle so as to control said functional component and to control therefrigerating cycle, and when judging to select a channel by using thechannel selector valve on the basis of a command of the operationcommand section, the control section sends output signals to a drivingsection for driving a power source of a compressor so as to start anoperation of the compressor of the refrigerating cycle and starts anoperation of the refrigerant cycle so as to generate a motive powerexceeding a first predetermined motive power, thereby the channelselector valve is passively controlled.
 73. A device for controlling arefrigerating cycle, which controls a channel selector valvecommunicated to the refrigerating cycle, comprising: a control sectionthat receives input signals sent from an operation command section forcommanding an operation state of the refrigerating cycle and from aphysical quantity detector section for detecting a physical quantitygenerated by the refrigerating cycle, wherein the control section sendsoutput signals to a driving section that drives a drive source of atleast one of a plurality of functional components communicated to therefrigerating cycle so as to control said functional component and tocontrol the refrigerating cycle, and when judging to select a channel byusing the channel selector valve on the basis of a command of theoperation command section, the control section sends output signals to adriving section for driving a power source of a compressor so as tostart an operation of the compressor in a direction of inverse rotationand starts an operation of the refrigerant cycle so as to generate amotive power exceeding a third predetermined motive power, thereby thechannel selector valve is passively controlled.
 74. The device forcontrolling a refrigerating cycle according to claim power of thechannel selector valve, then operates the refrigerating cycle for afourth predetermined period of time, then halts the operation of therefrigerating cycle for a fifth predetermined period of time, and thenstarts an operation of the compressor with a first predeterminedcapacity so that a motive power exceeding a first predetermined motivepower is generated as an internal motive power of the channel selectorvalve.
 78. The device for controlling a refrigerating cycle according toclaim 72, wherein the control section sends output signals to a throttledevice driving section so that an opening ratio of a throttle device ofthe refrigerating cycle is almost fully opened or almost fully closed.79. The device for controlling a refrigerating cycle according to claim72, wherein the control section sends output signals to a heat exchangermotor driving section so that a heat exchanger motor of therefrigerating cycle is kept halted.
 80. The device for controlling arefrigerating cycle according to claim 72, 75, 76 or 77, wherein oncethe control section starts an operation of the compressor, the controlsection sends output signals to the compressor driving section after afirst predetermined period of time and drives the power source of thecompressor so that a motive power exceeding a second predeterminedmotive power is generated, thereby operating the refrigerating cycle.81. The device for controlling a refrigerating cycle according to claim78, wherein once the control section starts an operation of thecompressor, the control section sends output signals to the throttledevice driving section so as to set the opening ratio of the throttledevice a predetermined opening ratio after a first predetermined periodof time.
 82. The device for controlling a refrigerating cycle accordingto claim 79, wherein once the control section starts an operation of thecompressor, the control section sends output signals to the heatexchanger motor driving section after a second predetermined period oftime so as to start an operation of the heat exchanger motor, sendsoutput signals to the compressor driving section so as to generate amotive power lower than a first predetermined motive power, and drivesthe power source of the compressor so as to generate a motive powerexceeding a second predetermined motive power, thereby operating therefrigerating cycle.
 83. The device for controlling a refrigeratingcycle according to claim 80, 81 or 82, wherein when the control sectionperforms a predetermined processing and judges to select a channel bythe channel selector valve or to halt an operation of the refrigeratingcycle, the control section sends output signals to the compressordriving section: to drive the power source of the compressor with athird predetermined capacity so as to generate a motive power lower thana second predetermined motive power; or to halt the operation of thecompressor, thereby halting the operation of the refrigerating cycle.84. The device for controlling a refrigerating cycle according to claim72, wherein when the control section performs a predetermined processingand judges to select a channel by the channel selector valve or to haltan operation of the refrigerating cycle, the control section sendsoutput signals to the compressor driving section to halt the operationof the compressor, then keeps the refrigerating cycle standby for athird predetermined period of time, then sends output signals to thecompressor driving section to start the operation of the compressor,then renews position data in a memory unit to a first or second positionafter a first predetermined period of time, thereby halting theoperation of the compressor again.
 85. The device for controlling arefrigerating cycle according to claim 72, 74 or 84, wherein whenpositional data memorized by a memory unit of the control sectionindicate a first or second position, the control section starts anoperation of the refrigerating cycle so that a motive power exceeding afirst predetermined motive power is generated as an internal motivepower of the channel selector valve.
 86. A device for controlling arefrigerating cycle, which controls a channel selector valvecommunicated to the refrigerating cycle, comprising: a control sectionthat receives input signals sent from an operation command section forcommanding an operation state of the refrigerating cycle and from aphysical quantity detector section for detecting a physical quantitygenerated by the refrigerating cycle, wherein the control section sendsoutput signals to a driving section that drives a drive source of atleast one of a plurality of functional components communicated to therefrigerating cycle so as to control said functional component and tocontrol the refrigerating cycle, and when judging not to select achannel by using the channel selector valve on the basis of a command ofthe operation command section, the control section sends output signalsto a driving section for driving a power source of a compressor so as tostart an operation of the compressor of the refrigerating cycle andstarts an operation of the refrigerant cycle so as to generate a motivepower lower than a first predetermined motive power, thereby the channelselector valve is passively controlled.
 87. The device for controlling arefrigerating cycle according to claim 86, wherein the control sectionstarts an operation of the compressor with a second predeterminedcapacity.
 88. A device for controlling a refrigerating cycle, whichcontrols a channel selector valve communicated to the refrigeratingcycle, comprising: a control section that receives input signals sentfrom an operation command section for commanding an operation state ofthe refrigerating cycle and from a physical quantity detector sectionfor detecting a physical quantity generated by the refrigerating cycle,wherein the control section sends output signals to a driving sectionthat drives a drive source of at least one of a plurality of functionalcomponents communicated to the refrigerating cycle so as to control saidfunctional component and to control the refrigerating cycle, and whenjudging not to select a channel by using the channel selector valve onthe basis of a command of the operation command section, the controlsection sends output signals to a driving section for driving a powersource of a compressor so as to start an operation of the compressor ofthe refrigerating cycle and starts an operation of the refrigerant cycleso as to generate a motive power exceeding a first predetermined motivepower, thereby the channel selector valve is passively controlled. 89.The device for controlling a refrigerating cycle according to claim 88,wherein when the control section performs a predetermined processing andjudges to halt an operation of the refrigerating cycle, the controlsection sends output signals to the compressor driving section so as tohalt the operation of the compressor, then keeps the refrigerating cyclestandby for a third predetermined period of time without renewingposition data in a memory unit.